(1C SB  LIBRARY 

5 


SACRED  MEMORIES; 


OB, 


ANNALS    OF    DECEASED    PREACHERS 


§ork  mtb  $frfo  §ork  @ast  Conferences. 


WITH 

A    FULL  ACCOUNT   OF  THE   RE-UNION   SERVICES   HELD    IN 

ST.  PAUL'S  M.  E.  CHURCH,  NEW  YORK,  APRIL  3, 1868, 

TOGETHER   WITH  THE   ADDRESSES 

THEN  DELIVERED. 


B  V    W.    O.    SMITH, 

OF   THE  NEW   YORK  CONFERENCE. 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY  BISHOP  JANES. 


THIRD      EDITION. 


NEW  YORK: 
CARLTOK    &    LANAHAK 

SAN  FRANCISCO:   E.  THOMAS. 
CINCINNATI:    HITCHCOCK    &    WALDEN. 


Kntered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1870, 
BY   CARLTON   &   LANAHAN, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for 
the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  volume  contains  interesting  sketches  of 
the  one  hundred  and  thirteen  ministers  con- 
nected with  the,  New  York  and  Jsew  York  East 
Conferences,  who  died  during  the  two  decades 
that  intervened  between  the  division  of  the  form- 
er, in  1848,  and  the  Re-union  Services  of  the  two 
bodies  in  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  1868,  together  with  the  order  of  exercises 
and  addresses  delivered  on  that  memorable 
occasion.* 

When  it  is  considered  that  this  book  contains 
the  annals  of  men  who  represent  all  grades 
of  talent  and  adaptation,  such  as  itinerants, 
presiding  elders,  and  missionaries;  historians, 
authors,  and  publishers ;  editors  of  books  and 
periodicals ;  presidents  of  seminaries  and  col- 
leges ;  delegates  to  the  General  Conference ; 
orators,  controversialists,  and  divines,  it  cannot 
fail  to  interest  the  general  reader.  Especially 
is  its  adaptation  apparent  when  we  add  that 

*  The  assembly  of  ministers  on  the  occasion  of  the  Re-union 
\vas  probably  the  largest  ever  known  in  the  history  of  Method- 
ism on  this  continent. 


4  PREFACE. 

hundreds  are  living  to  whom  these  men  were 
related  by  the  ties  of  kindred,  while  thousands 
more  are  still  living  who  became  strongly  at- 
tached to  them,  as  they  mingled  with  them  in 
scenes  of  affliction,  social  gatherings,  and  holy 
communings.  And  we  may  still  add,  tens  of 
thousands  more  who  were  awakened,  led  to 
Christ,  and  brought  into  the  Church  by  their 
instrumentality,  and  received  the  ordinances  at 
their  hands. 

This  work  is  intended  as  a  humble  tribute  of 
respect  to  the  memory  of  those  noble  and  self- 
sacrificing  men  whose  travels  and  labors  ex- 
tended over  a  large  portion  of  these  United 
States  and  the  Canadas,  and  through  a  period  of 
more  than  half  a  century.  But  they  now  "  rest 
from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow 
them." 

Grateful  to  that  Providence  which,  we  trust, 
led  to  and  supervised  the  preparation  of  this 
volume,  we  now  commend  it  to  the  Methodist 
public,  trusting  it  will  not  be  an  unwelcome 
visitor  to  any,  but  acceptable  to  all.* 

W.  C.  SMITH. 

POUGHKEEPSIE,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  1,  1870. 


*„.*  The  materials  for  this  volume  have  been  gathered  from 
personal  knowledge  of  the  men.  interviews  and  correspondence 
wiih  their  relatives  and  friends,  and  the  Journals  and  General 
Minutes  of  the  Conferences. 


INTEODUCTION 


"  THE  righteous  shall  be  had  in  everlasting  re- 
membrance." Of  but  few  dead  men  can  it  be 
more  truly  said,  "They  rest  from  their  labors, 
and  their  works  do  follow  them,"  than  of  the 
noble  men  and  devoted  ministers  whose  char- 
acters and  lives  are  briefly,  but  comprehensively 
given  in  this  volume.  To  those  who  knew  them 
personally,  their  memory  is  as  fragrant  as  the 
spices  in  the  garden  of  the  Lord.  To  those  who 
were  converted  through  their  ministry,  their 
names  are  as  ointment  poured  forth.  To  those 
who  were  edified  and  encouraged  by  them  in 
their  struggles  for  goodness  and  for  glory, 
the  remembrance  of  them  is  very  precious. 
All  these  classes  of  persons  will  thank  the 
author  for  these  memoirs.  The  book  also 
furnishes  very  useful  instruction  to  the  gen- 
eral reader.  These  brief  biographies  illustrate 
the  radical  character  of  Christian  conversions, 
the  fullness  of  Gospel  salvation,  the  sufficiency 
of  divine  grace,  not  only  to  sanctify  and  keep 
pure,  bu*  also  to  sustain  and  comfort  believers 
through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  life  and  death. 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

They  also  show  what  Christians  can  do  and  suf- 
fer to  save  souls  when  constrained  by  the  love 
of  Christ;  how  they  can  endure  labor,  suffer 
privation,  and  poverty,  and  reproach,  and  peril, 
and  premature  death,  and  say  with  Paul,  "  But 
none  of  these  things  move  me,  neither  count  I 
my  life  dear  unto  myself,  so  that  I  might  finish 
my  course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry,  which  I 
have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the 
Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God."  They  were  all 
burning  and  shining  lights,  and  some  of  them 
glowed  with  a  special  luster.  Taken  together, 
they  form  a  galaxy  in  the  firmament  of  the 
Church  upon  which  we  look  with  much  admira- 
tion and  pleasure. 

The  reunion  services  of  the  two  Conferences, 
an  account  of  which  is  given  in  this  book,  were 
highly  interesting  and  profitable.  The  large 
concourse  of  people  present,  as  well  as  the  minis- 
ters, felt  it  good  to  be  there.  The  addresses 
furnished  in  this  book,  and  the  statement  it  con- 
tains of  the  other  services,  will  enable  many  who 
were  not  favored  to  be  present  to  share  the  en- 
joyments and  benefits  of  the  occasion.  But 
what  a  record  of  mortality  is  here  given  !  How 
soon  we  pass  away  !  Let  it  not  be  said,  "  The 
righteous  perisheth,  aud  no  man  layeth  it  to 
heart.'1  But  let  us  be  admonished  to  be  up  and 
doing  while  the  day  lasts,  for  the  night  cometh 
wherein  no  man  can  work.  E.  S.  JANES. 


CONTENTS. 


NEW 


CONFERENCE. 


NAMES. 

5  . 

•s£ 

*~  .2 

Is 

,a 
2."! 

£& 

Date  of  Death. 

§ 

< 

1' 

ANDRUS,  LUMAN  

1810 

41 

July     22  1851 

ft) 

43 

BAINBRIUGE,  THOMAS  

1S33 

9q 

March  10,  1862 

70 

142 

BANGS,  JOHN  

1819 

30 

Feb.       4,  1849 

68 

22 

BIGELOW,  NOAH  

1810 

40 

August  2,  1849 

67 

29 

BLOOMER,  EEUBEN  H  

1835 

81 

June      1,  1866 

60 

183 

BREAKEY,  JAMES  W  

1858 

q 

April   10,  1867 

36 

188 

BRENNER,  FREDERICK  W  
BROWN,  OLIVER  E  

1848 
1844 

4 
13 

Sept.,         1852 
July     28,  1857 

34 
44 

61 
89, 

BUKCH,  THOMAS  

1805 

44 

Aug.    22,  1849 

VI 

25 

BURR,  BRADLEY  L  

1851 

7 

Nov.     16,  1858 

•11 

103 

BURROUGHS,  CHARLES  ....... 

1864 

May     26,  1864 

23 

167 

CARPENTER,  CHARLES  W  

1814 

39 

May     10,  1853 

61 

62 

CLARK,  LORIN  

1825 

43 

Jan.     29,  1868 

90 

194 

COLES,  GEORGE  

1819 

39 

May       1,  1858 

86 

85 

COURTRIGHT,  ROYAL  

1853 

4 

August  8,  1857 

97 

CRAWFORD,  JOHN  

1789 

69 

March    7,  1851 

90 

36 

DAVIES,  THOMAS  

1859 

June      7,  1859 

88 

195 

DlCKERSON,  JOSIAH  L  

1835 

98 

May     16,  1863 

67 

162 

FERGUSON,  SAMUEL  D  

1819 

36 

Dec.     30,  1855 

67 

71 

FERO,  THOMAS  E  

1855 

11 

Sept.      2,  1866 

40 

186 

FTSIIER    SAMUEL  TJ  

1826 

94 

May       9,  1850 

55 

34 

Foss    CYRUS  

1819 

30 

Feb.     29,  1849 

68 

90 

Foss,  WILLIAM  JAY  

1858 

1 

May     16,  1859 

22 

190 

GRIFFEN,  BENJAMIN  

1811 

50 

June    20,1861 

69 

145 

HAGANY,  JOHN  B  

1831 

34 

June     28,  1865 

57 

168 

HAM,  JEREMIAH  

1836 

18 

Sept.      8,  1854 

47 

69 

HAND,  JOSEPH  T  

1865 

9: 

Jan.      20,  1867 

9,8 

176 

HOEVENER,  CHRISTOPHER  H.. 
HOLMES,  DAVID  

1845 
1826 

7 
34 

Feb.     24,  1852 
May       9,  1860 

<y>  co 

CO  «O 

45 
130 

HORTON,  GOODRICH  

1836 

14 

Sept.    17,  1850 

31 

38 

HOWE,  BEZALEEL  

1823 

31 

June    25,  1854 

78 

67 

HUMPHREYS,  HUMPHREY  
HUNT,  AARON  

1822 
1791 

48 
67 

Sept.    29,  1852 
April    25,  1858 

67 
90 

51 
88 

JEWETT,  WILLIAM  

1808 

49 

June    27,  1857 

fiS 

90 

KEBR   GEORGE       

1844 

15 

Sept.      8,  1859 

87 

117 

LEE   ADDI            

1842 

15 

Dec.       8,  1857 

41 

95 

LEVINGS,  NOAH  .  . 

1818 

81 

Jan.     19,  1849 

53 

17 

MARTINDALE,  STEPHEN  

1808 

52 

May     23,  1860 

73 

127 

CONTENTS. 


NAMES. 

a 

if 

II 

4  . 

i.£ 
>^ 

Date  of  Death. 

| 

I 

£ 

MATTHIAS,  JOHN  B  

1811 

K 

May     27,  1848 

-1 

11 

MEROEI-V,  T.  F.  R  

1846 

10 

Sept.    15,  1856 

31 

75 

MITCHELL,  WILLIAM  B  

1847 

11 

Oct.      27,  1858 

48 

99 

OSBORX,  THEROV  

1826 

w 

Aug.     12,  1852 

nfi 

46 

ROBINSON  JONATHAN  N  

1844 

M 

Nov       6   1858 

48 

108 

ROMAINE  LEVERETT  G  

1864 

1 

Nov        3   1865 

95 

174 

RICE  NATHAN        

1819 

4r. 

Feb      21    1864 

-•> 

156 

RICE,  PHTXEAS       

1807 

54 

Dec        4  1861 

7-, 

137 

RCSK,  JAMES      .       

1851 

R 

April     4  1859 

106 

SANDFOBD    PETER  P  

1807 

50 

Jan      14  1857 

Y6 

73 

SEAMAN,  RICHARD  

1823 

41 

Nov       6,  1864 

80 

164 

SILLICK,  BRADLEY  

1822 

38 

Nov       4,  1860 

77 

135 

SILLIOK.  JOHN  A  

1834 

31 

July     10,  1865 

fiO 

179, 

SMITH,  DANIEL  

1831 

'1 

June    23,  1852 

46 

53 

STOCKING,  DAVIS  

1830 

gg 

Dec.     11,  1858 

48 

113 

TACKABERRT,  JOHN  C  

1827 

gg 

May     19,  1852 

59 

40 

TELFORD,  WALTER  D  

1863 

4 

March  30,  1867 

37 

180 

TIIACHER,  WILLIAM  

1797 

59 

August  2,  1856 

«7 

79 

WARD,  PELETIAH  

1846 

1« 

Sept.      2,  1862 

150 

WEBSTER,  DAVID  

1833 

16 

Jan.       6,  1849 

45 

94 

WELLS,  JASON  

93 

YOITNG,  JAMES  

1815 

n,-, 

April    28,  1850 

65 

3? 

NEW    YOF^K     EAST     CONFERENCE. 


ADAMS  CHARLES  R  

1843 

88 

Feb.    58,  1865 

<\ci 

279 

BANGS    NATHAN  

1802 

60 

May       3,  1862 

S4 

248 

BANGS,  WILLIAM  M'K  

1831 

SI 

Sept.      5,  1852 

•1  •' 

Q11 

BARTLETT,  C  H  ARLES  

1843 

11 

Nov.      2,  1854 

33 

001 

BABTLETT,  HORACE  

1822 

36 

Feb.       3,  1858 

66 

?9fl 

BLYDENBURG,  MOSES  

1840 

8 

Sept.    19,  1848 

31 

909, 

BOOTH   JOHN  F  

1855 

10 

Nov.    26,  1865 

"ii 

289 

BOUTON  JAMES  D  

1835 

39, 

Nov.    29,  1867 

55 

304 

BREWER,  WALTER  W  

1834 

:;:; 

Feb.     10,  1868 

303 

BULL,  MITCHELL  B  

1803 

54 

August  6,  1857 

79 

229 

1823 

88 

June      6,  1856 

--,- 

225 

CHANDLER,  T/HEOPHIUJS  B  .  .  . 
CRAWFORD,  ELIJAH  

1850 
1835 

16 

14 

June    20,  1866 
Sept.    18,  1849 

4" 
37 

295 
207 

CBEAGH,  BARTHOLOMEW  
COOK,  PHINEAS  

1827 
1803 

25 
58 

Aug.     10,  1852 
May     26,  1861 

48 

77 

210 
240 

DIXON  WILLIAM  

1840 

9 

Aug.     17,  1849 

88 

204 

ELLIS,  JOHN  

1851 

1* 

Oct.      22,  1863 

48 

274 

FABGKR.  JOSEPH  

1855 

n 

June      1,  1857 

3R 

230 

FLOY,  JAMES  

1835 

B8 

Oct.      14,  1863 

07 

263 

CONTENTS. 


NAMES. 

S 

if 
ll 

If 

r.   - 

•;-?, 

Dftte  of  Death. 

1 

& 

is 

GERALDS,  THOMAS  

1842 

•>n 

Oct.        4,  1862 

4-7 

9fif> 

GOODSELL,  -BUEL  

1814 

•I1' 

May       4  1863 

70 

266 

GILBEBT,  GAD  S       

1842 

94 

August  1,  1866 

59 

292 

GILBERT,  RAPHAEL  

1827 

41 

June      6,  1863 

70 

075 

GII.DEB.  WILLIAM  H  

1833 

;<l 

April   13,  1864 

59 

281 

HUNT,  JESSE  

1811 

87 

Nov.      5,  1848 

61 

199 

JAGGER,  EZRA  

1834 

W 

April   22,  1850 

44 

906 

KENNADAY,  JOHN  

1823 

40 

Nov.    14,  1863 

63 

969 

LAW,  JOSEPH  

1830 

;;i 

June    11,1861 

fi5 

943 

LAW,  SAMUEL  W  

1841 

16 

April    28,  1857 

36 

930 

LOVEJOY,  T.  A  

1847 

9,0 

June      7,  lt>67 

46 

301 

MARSHALL,  JOSEPH  D  

1827 

33 

Jan.       9,  1860 

56 

939 

MATTHIAS,  JOHN  J  

1817 

41 

Sept.    25,  1861 

65 

941 

MILLER,  DAVID  

181(5 

39 

Dec.     26,  1855 

63 

993 

NIXON,  JOHN  

1821 

45 

Dec.     18,  1859 

71 

931 

OLIN,  STEPHEN  

1824 

"7 

Aug.     15,  1851 

54 

908 

PEASE,  JOHN  M  

1834 

9,'>, 

Sept.    29,  1856 

45 

996 

PERRY,  JAMES  H  

1838 

94 

June     18,  1862 

51 

956 

PIERCE,  GERSHOM  

1803 

62 

March  23,  1865 

83 

988 

REDFIELD  .CHARLES  

1858 

3 

Oct.      24,  1861 

41 

947 

ROBERTS,  ROBERT  

1856 

9 

Jan.      18,  1865 

33 

985 

SEXEY,  ROBERT  

1820 

34 

July       1,1854 

57 

916 

SHAW,  JACOB  

1835 

4s 

April    23,  1861 

75 

245 

SMITH,  JOHN  G  

1832 

99, 

Sept.    30,  1854 

45 

917 

SMITH,  SAMUEL  W  

1834 

94 

March  16,  1858 

46 

999 

STARU,  ORLANDO  

1832 

17 

April    24,  1849 

44 

9,01 

STOPFORD,  WILLIAM  K  

1833 

18 

June    25,  1852 

43 

213 

SYKES,  OLIVER  

1806 

47 

Feb.     11,  1853 

75 

915 

THOMAS,  NOBLE  W  

1803 

57 

May     12,  1860 

7^ 

937 

TRAVIS,  ROBERT  

1822 

4-. 

Feb.     10,  1868 

71 

298 

WASHBURN,  EBENEZER  

1801 

5fi 

Dec.     29,  1857 

65 

99« 

WEED,  HORATIO  N  

1845 

99 

May     11,  1807 

54 

299 

WHITE,  NICHOLAS  

1813 

•1s 

Feb.     14,  1861 

75 

235 

WOOLSEY,  ELIJAH  

1791 

59 

Jan.      24,  1850 

79 

203 

10  x  CONTENTS. 

REUNION    SERVICES. 


THE  REUNION Page  310 

PRELIMINARY  ARRANGEMENTS 310 

OPENING  EXERCISES 312 

ADDRESS  OF  BISHOP  JANES 315 

ADDRESS  or  BISHOP  CLARK 319 

ADDRESS  or  EEV.  MARVIN  EICHARDSON 326 

ADDRESS  OF  LABAN  CLARK,  D.D '328 

ADDRESS  OF  EEV.  HEMAN  BANGS 329 

ADDRESS  OF  EEV.  DAVID  BUCK 335 

ADDRESS  OF  EEV.  L.  S.  WEED , 339 

ADDRESS  OF  D.  CURRY,  D.D 344 

ADDRESS  OF  E.  S.  FOSTER,  D.D 351 

EEMARKS  OF  BISHOP  JANES 355 

EEMARKS  OF  FATHER  BOEHM 356 

PRAYER  BY  EEV.  A.  C.  Foss 357 

BENEDICTION  BY  LABAN  CLARK,  D.D 357 


NOTE. 


The  New  York  Conference,  at  its  first  session  after  the  Ee- 
union  Services  in  1868,  adopted  the  following: 

EESOLVED,  That  the  Eev.  W.  C.  Smith  be  added  to  the  Com- 
mittee on  the  Be-union  Services  of  the  New  York  and  New  York 
East  Conferences:  and  that  a  report  of  the  proceedings,  pre- 
pared by  Brother  Smith  for  publication,  be  recommended  to  the 
favorable  consideration  of  the  Committee. 


SACKED  MEMORIES; 

OR, 

ANNALS  OF  DECEASED  PREACHERS. 


NEW  YORK   CONFERENCE. 


JOHN  B.   MATTHIAS. 

JOHN  B.  MATTHIAS  was  born  January  !>  1T67, 
in  Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  a  post  of  the 
British  froops,  and  the  field  of  one  of  the  battles 
of  the  Revolution.  Thus  in  his  youth  was  he 
accustomed  to  the  scenes  of  our  revolutionary 
struggle,  from  which  his  spirit  imbibed  a  most 
ardent  patriotism,  and  which  furnished  him 
with  the  many  stirring  incidents  with  which  he 
used  to  charm  and  instruct  the  social  circle,  and 
impress  his  audience  with  the  value  of  our  polit- 
ical privileges.  His  father  was  a  German  im- 
migrant ;  a  firm  adherent  to  the  cause  of  the 
Revolution  ;  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church,  and  a  good  man.  He  died  aged  eighty- 
one  years  and  seven  months.  His  son  was  edu- 
cated in  the  German  language.  At  the  age  of 


12  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

eighteen  he  became  a  member  of  the  Church, 
although  ignorant  of  experimental  religion.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  a  ship-joiner  in  Philadei 
phia.  On  the  expiration  of  his  apprenticeship 
lie  went  to  New  York.  Here  he  was  attracted 
to  John-street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
John  Dickens  was  then  stationed  there,  "  who," 
he  states,  "was  a  plain  dressed  man,  and 
preached  with  all  his  might."  A  change  of 
preachers  was  soon  made,  and,  to  use  his  own 
words,  "  they  took  away  my  thundering  John 
Dickens,  and  gave  us  Robert  Cloud  and  Thomas 
Morrell."  He  now  became  a  constant  attendant 
at  the  Methodist  Church. 

On  one  occasion,  when  Robert  Cloud  was 
preaching,  there  was  a  great  stir  among  the 
people,  and  many  cried  aloud  for  mercy.  He, 
too,  was  seized  with  trembling,  and  partook  of 
-the  general  alarm.  At  first  he  attempted  to 
laugh  off  these  feelings,  but  could  not.  At 
length  he  resolved  not  to  go  among  the  Meth- 
odists any  more ;  but  an  irfflueiice  drew  him 
thither  that  he  conld  not  overcome.  At  the 
opening  of  a  new  church  in  the  Bowery,  (the 
site  of  the  present  Forsyth-street  Church,)  by 
Rev.  Thomas  Morrell,  he  became  truly  awak- 
ened, and  resolved  on  a  new  life.  He  thought 
that  should  he  cry  earnestly  to  God  he  would 
find  forgiveness ;  accordingly  he  prayed  all  one 
night  and  the  following  day.  In  the  evening 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  13 

he  attended  John-street  Church:  for  the  first 
time  he  kneeled  in  the  congregation.  Here  he 
received  some  light  and  comfort,  but  not  the 
witness  of  pardon  which  he  desired.  He  spent 
all  that  night  in  prayer.  The  next  day,  in  the 
afternoon,  as  he  was  descending  the  stairs  to  go 
out,  these  words'  were  spoken  to  his  soul :  "  Thy 
sins  are  all  blotted  out  of  the  book  of  God's  re- 
membrance." He  exclaimed,  "Glory  to  God  !" 
All  doubt  of  his  acceptance  was  now  dissipated, 
and  his  heart  was  filled  with  love  to  God  and 
man.  The  year  following  he  married  Miss 
Sarah  Jarvis,  a  member  of  John-street  Church. 

From  his  conversion  his  mind  was  impressed 
with  the  conviction  that  it  would  be  his  duty  to 
preach.  Permission  was  given  him  to  hold 
meetings  for  this  purpose,  and  he  often  went  to 
Fort  Lee  and  to  Brooklyn.  In  this  latter  place 
he  says,  "Many  a  happy  time  have  I  had  with 
that  small  society."  In  1793  he  received  license 
to  preach.  Soon  after,  he  removed  to  Peeks- 
kill.  Here  he  was  the  instrument  of  a  gracious 
revival  of  religion.  In  1796  he  removed  to 
Tarry  town,  where  he  lived  twelve  years — la- 
boring at  his  trade  during  the  week,  and  gener- 
ally preaching  three  times  on  the  Sabbath.  For 
five  years  he  labored  without  any  perceptible 
fruit,  but  fainted  not.  At  length,  at  an  appoint- 
ment about  a  mile  from  Tarrytown,  at  the  house 
of  Glade  Requa,  the  father  of  a  large  family, 


14  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

both  himself  and  wife,  two  sons,  and  a  few  of 
the  neighbors,  were  converted  to  God,  and 
formed  into  a  class.  Soon  after,  some  of  the 
most  respectable  inhabitants  of  the  village  were 
added  to  the  Church.  About  this  time,  in  1797, 
he  was  ordained  Deacon  by  Bishop  Asbury. 
Being  employed  for  a  short  time'at  Haverstraw, 
he  preached  there,  and  formed  a  class  of  nine 
persons.  On  visiting  them  in  the  spring,  he 
found  a  gracious  work  had  been  in  progress. 
The  Presiding  Elder,  Rev.  E.  "Woolsey,  desired 
him  to  form  a  circuit.  Soon  a  two  weeks'  cir- 
cuit was  formed,  and  forty  persons  added  to  the 
Church.  Afterward  he  enlarged  it  to  a  four 
weeks'  circuit,  which  was  called  Bergen.  Aaron 
Hunt,  in  consequence  of  the  sickness  and  death 
of  his  wife,  was  obliged  to  leave  his  circuit,  and 
the  subject  of  this  memoir  was  called  to  take 
his  place,  where  he  successfully  labored  for  five 
mouths.  In  1810  he  was  recommended  to  the 
Annual  Conference ;  but  his  Presiding  Elder, 
having  young  single  men  sufficient  for  the 
work,  did  not  present  his  application.  This  dis- 
appointment well  nigh  overwhelmed  him. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year  of  sorrow,  one  day, 
wThile  at  his  work,  he  was  accosted  by  a  Meth- 
odist preacher,  Jonathan  Lyon,  with  a  letter 
from  Rev.  Aaron  Hunt,  Presiding  Elder  of 
Rhinebeck  District,  calling  him  to  take  the 
place  of  Smith  Arnold,  who  had  been  forced  to 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  15 

leave  on  account  of  illness.  He  hastened  to 
the  circuit,  and  was  present  at  the  quarterly 
meeting.  "When  I  met  the  preachers,"  he 
says,  "I  could  have  shouted  aloud."  The  Hon. 
Mr.  Tillotson,  of  Rhinebeck,  gave  him  a  horse, 
and  he  went  immediately  upon  his  long-wished- 
for  employment,  being  wholly  given  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry.  In  1811  he  was  recommended 
to  the  Annual  Conference,  was  received,  and 
appointed  to  Chatham  Circuit;  here  he  re- 
mained two  years.  In  1813  he  traveled  Sche- 
nectady  Circuit,  and  was  ordained  Elder  by 
Bishop  M'Kendree.  In  1814-15,  Albany  Cir- 
cuit; 1816,  Khinebeck  Circuit;  1817-18,  Duch- 
ess Circuit;  1819-20,  Croton  Circuit;  1821-22, 
Stamford  Circuit;  1822-24,  Cortlandt  Circuit. 
In  the  fourth  quarter  of  this  second  year  he 
was  sent  a  missionary  to  the  Highlands  on  the 
Hudson,  and  remained  two  years.  In  1827-28 
he  traveled  Redhook  Mission ;  1829,  he  was  a 
supernumerary  on  Clarernont  Circuit;  1830,  he 
traveled  Albany  Circuit;  1831-32,  Cortlandt 
Circuit;  1833-34,  Duchess  Circuit;  1835-36, 
Huntington  Circuit;  1837-38,  Huntington  South 
Circuit ;  1839-40,  Rockaway  Circuit ;  in  1841 
he  became  superannuated,  and  continued  in 
this  relation  until  his  death. 

During  the  second  year  he  traveled  Rockaway 
Circuit  his  eye-sight  became  gradually  impaired 
by  a  growing  cataract ;  till  at  length  he  became 


1C  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

unable  to  guide  his  horse,  and  his  wife  had  to 
accompany  him  to  his  appointments  for  that 
purpose.  At  the  close  of  his  term  on  this  cir- 
cuit he  received  a  superannuated  relation,  and 
resided  at  Hempstead,  Long  Island.  Soon  after, 
his  eye-sight  was  almost  entirely  gone.  He  sub- 
mitted to  a  surgical  operation,  but  obtained  no 
permanent  relief.  Although  the  windows  had 
become  darkened,  and  the  light  of  day  and 
the  faces  of  friends  had  been  shut  out,  yet  this 
grievous  affliction  never  took  from  him  his  natu- 
ral buoyancy  of  spirit.  Throughout  the  long 
seven  years  of  his  blindness  he  never  murmured 
or  repined,  nor  was  rendered  unhappy  on  ac- 
count of  it.  Often  he  would  say  to  his  eldest 
son,  "  John,  my  thoughts  are  in  heaven.  I  have 
sweet  intercourse  with  God  continually."  He 
never  doubted  but  that  he  would  go  direct  to 
heaven  when  God  should  call  him. 
•  •  About  a  week  before  his  death  he  was  at- 
tacked with  a  paralysis  of  the  left  side.  It 
neither  was  severe,  nor  appeared  to  affect  his 
mind.  He  called  to  his  wife  and  said  to  her, 
"  I  shall  soon  leave  you ;  but  we  shall  not  be 
long  separated." 

The  few  remaining  days  that  he  lived  his 
mind  was  kept  in  perfect  peace;  he  would  often 
say,  "  I  shall  soon  be  at  rest " — "  most  home." 
Prayers  were  offered  by  friends  who  came  to 
see  him,  to  which  he  would  respond,  "Amen," 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  17 

"  Glory  !  Glory ! "  He  occasionally  asked  if 
the  letter  had  gone  by  the  wires  to  Pittsburgh, 
to  his  son,  who  was  attending  the  General  Con- 
ference in  that  city ;  and  when  told  that  an 
answer  had  been  received  by  the  same  convey 
ance — that  he  would  be  at  home  on  Friday — ho 
said,  "He  will  find  me  dying."  His  son  re- 
turned but  a  few  hours  before  he  expired. 

To  his  family  his  growing  meetne&s  for  heav- 
en was  apparent.  His  life  at  last  seemed  all 
praise  and  prayer.  He  died  at  the  residence  of 
his  son,  in  Hempstead,  Long  Island,  on  the 
27th  of  May,  aged  eighty-one  years  and  five 
months. 


NOAH    LEVINGS. 

Noah  Levings  was  born  in  Cheshire  County, 
New  Hampshire,  September  29,  1796.  His 
parents  having  removed  to  Troy,  he  was,  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  apprenticed  to  a  blacksmith  in 
that  city.  Soon  after  this,  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  the  Rev.  Laban  Clark,  he  was  hap- 
pily converted  to  God.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach  December  20, 1817,  and  in  the  following 
May  was  admitted  a  probationer  in  the  New 
York  Annual  Conference.  His  successive  ap- 
pointments were  as  follows  :  1818,  Leyden  Cir- 
cuit ;  1819,  Pownal  Circuit ;  1820,  Montgomery 
Circuit ;  1821,  Saratoga  Circuit ;  1822,  Middle- 
2 


18  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

bury  ;  1823^,  Burlington  ;  1825-6,  Charlotte ; 
1827-8,  New  York  city  ;  1829-30,  Brooklyn  ; 
1831-2,  New  Haven;  1833,  Albany;  1834-5, 
Troy;  1836-7,  Schenectady ;  1838,'  Troy  Dis- 
trict; 1839-40,  North  Second-street,  Troy; 
1841,  Division-street,  Albany ;  1842,  State- 
street,  Troy ;  1843,  Yestry-street,  New  York 
city ;  and  in  1844  he  was  elected  Financial 
Secretary  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  the 
duties  of  which  office  he  continued  to  fill  till  hi& 
death.  The  early  advantages  of  Brother  Lev- 
ings  were  quite  limited  ;  but  when  he  felt  him- 
self called  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  he  also 
felt  the  importance  of  studious  eifort  to  prepare 
himself  to  sustain  the  responsibilities  of  his  great 
work.  By  means  of  these  efforts,  co-working 
with  the  grace  of  God  in  his  heart,  he  became 
an  able  preacher  of  the  New  Testament,  a  work- 
man that  needed  not  to  be  ashamed.  In  his 
ministerial  work  he  was  eminently  popular  and 
successful.  The  gentleness  of  his  spirit,  and  the 
affability  of  his  manner,  greatly  endeared  him 
to  all  who  enjoyed  his  acquaintance. 

He  was  a  most  successful  platform  speaker ; 
and  as  Secretary  of  the  American  Bible  Society, 
traveled  extensively  through  the  country,  plead 
ing,  with  uniform  success,  the  Bible  cause  before 
popular  assemblies,  Annual  and  General  Confer- 
ences, and  other  ecclesiastical  bodies.  It  was 
while  on  one  of  these  extensive  tours  to  the 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  19 

southwest  that  he  was  arrested  in  his  careeer  of 
usefulness,  and  stricken  down  by  the  hand  of 
death,  after  traveling  nearly  four  thousand  miles 
during  the  months  of  October,  November,  and 
December,  visiting  the  Tennessee,  Memphis,  and 
Mississippi  Conferences.  Toward  the  last  of  De- 
cember, on  reaching  Natchez,  he  found  himself 
too  much  enfeebled  to  prosecute  further  his  mis- 
sion. The  hand  of  death  arrested  him  on  his 
homeward  course  on  the  ninth  day  of  January, 
1849,  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  His  end  was 
peaceful  and  triumphant. 

Dr.  Levings  sustained  the  ministerial  office 
about  thirty-one  years.  During  that  time  he 
officiated  in  eighteen  different  appointments, 
preached  nearly  four  thousand  sermons,  dedi- 
cated thirty-eight  churches,  delivered  sixty-live 
miscellaneous  addresses,  and  finally,  traveled 
thirty-six  thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty-nine 
miles,  and  delivered  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  addresses  in  behalf  of  the  American  Bible 
Society. 

He  died,  as  the  Christian  minister  might  wish 
to  die,  mature  in  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  fresh 
from  the  battle-fields  of  the  cross.  Those  who 
had  been  blessed  by  his  ministry  accompanied 
him,  with  prayers  and  tears,  down  to  the  brink 
of  Jordan  ;  those  who  had  gone  before  joyfully 
welcomed  him  over.  Thus,  in  the  maturity  of 
his  strength,  and  in  the  height  of  his  usefulness, 


20  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

a  brother  has  been  called  away — a  standard- 
bearer  in  Israel  has  fallen. 


CYRUS  FOSS. 

Cyrus  Foss  was  born  in  Barrington,  New 
Hampshire,  in  the  year  1T99.  Before  he  was 
of  age  he  came  to  Dover,  in  Duchess  County, 
New  York,  and  while  teaching  school  in  Beek 
man,  an  adjoining  town,  was  converted  to  God 
under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Arnold  Scofield. 
Soon  after  he  received  a  Local  Preacher's  li- 
cense, and  during  the  following  year  was  em- 
ployed, under  the  direction  of  the  Presiding 
Elder,  on  the  Goshen  Circuit. 

In  1825  he  was  received  on  trial  in  the  New 
York  Annual  Conference,  and  in  1827  admitted 
into  full  connection,  and  ordained  Deacon.  In 
1829  he  was  ordained  Elder,  and  during  that 
year  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Jane 
Campbell,  of  Pawlings,  New  York.  He  labored 
faithfully  and  successfully  in  various  places 
until  1842,  when  his  health  became  so  poor 
that  he  was  returned  supernumerary.  His 
strength  continuing  to  fail,  he  was  subsequently 
placed  on  the  superannuated  list,  where  he  con- 
tinued until  the  Master  of  the  vineyard  called 
him  to  his  reward. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  winter  of  1848  his 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  21 

health  began  to  decline  very  rapidly,  and  it  soon 
became  apparent,  both  to  himself  and  his  friends, 
that  his  end  was  approaching.  He  now  found 
that  the  Gospel  of  Christ  was  the  solace  of  his 
spirit.  Here,  on  the  merit  of  his  Saviour,  whose 
wondrous  love  in  the  redemption  of  man  was 
so  frequently  the  theme  of  his  discourses,  his 
faith  firmly  rested ;  and  here  it  triumphed,  af- 
fording him  a  tranquillity  of  soul  that  was  truly 
astonishing  to  himself,  as  well  as  highly  instruct- 
ive to  his  Christian  friends. 

One  of  his  last  requests  was,  that  he  might  be 
affectionately  remembered  to  all  his  brethren. 
"  Tell  them,"  said  he  to  a  brother  in  the  minis- 
try, "  that  my  belief  in  the  great  doctrines  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  not  suffered 
the  least  abatement,  but  is,  if  possible,  stronger 
than  ever."  * 

Three  or  four  days  before  his  death  the  weak 
state  of  his  body  brought  on  an  abstraction  of 
mind,  from  which  he  did  not  recover  so  as  to  be 
able  again  to  converse  respecting  his  trust  in 
Christ.  Previous  to  this,  however,  when  he  be- 
lieved the  hour  of  his  departure  at  hand,  he  ex- 
claimed to  a  relative,  "  This  is  the  happiest  day 
of  all  my  life  ! "  He  died  at  Carmel,  New  York, 
on  the  29th  of  February,  aged  fifty  years. 


22  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

*     JOHN  BANGS. 

John  Bangs  was  born  in  Stratford,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1781,  but  removed  soon  after  to  Delaware 
County,  New  York.  In  early  life  he  was  much 
addicted  to  profanity  and  vain  amusements  ; 
but  in  these  he  found  no  rest  to  a  spirit  often 
troubled  on  account  of  sin.  He  and  his  wife 
saw  the  danger  before  them ;  they  fled  to  God 
and  found  mercy.  On  one  memorable  Sabbath 
morning,  while  engaged  for  the  first  time  in 
family  devotion,  his  soul  was  set  at  perfect 
liberty.  Soon  after  his  wife  found  peace,  and 
they  retained  the  sacred  treasure  unto  the  end. 
Brother  Bangs,  soon  after  conversion,  felt  such 
an  ardent  desire  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  that 
he  visited  from  house  to  house  in  his  neighbor- 
hood, and  exhorted  sitwers  to  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come.  He  probably  received  license  to  preach 
in  1806.  His  labors  were  arduous  and  unremit- 
ting. After  toiling  in  his  shop  during  the  week 
he  rode  from  five  to  twenty  miles  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  Sabbath,  preached  twice,  attended 
the  class-meetings,  and  then  returned  in  season 
to  resume  his  toils  on  the  following  Monday 
morning.  While  thus  doing  good  to  the  souls 
of  men  God  blessed  the  labors  of  his  hands,  and 
gave  him  an  increase  of  temporal  things.  But 
he  earnestly  desired  to  give  himself  wholly  to 
the  work  of  the  ministry;  and  when  satisfied 


SACRED  MEMORIES  23 

that  his  call  was  from  God,  he  abandoned  the 
flattering  prospects  of  this  world  that  he  might 
win  souls  to  Christ. 

In  1819  he  was  received  on  trial  in  the  New 
York  Conference.  While  a  Local  Preacher  he 
was  abundant  in  labors ;  but  now  that  saving 
souls  had  become  his  appropriate  and  only  work, 
his  zeal  was  without  measure,  and  his  efforts 
worthy  of  highest  praise.  He  had  many  seals 
to  his  ministry.  During  the  time  he  traveled 
as  an  effective  preacher  about  three  thousand 
souls  were  received  into  the  Church  by  him  and 
his  associates  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  For 
sixteen  years  he  was  incessant  in  his  efforts  to 
do  good — preaching  holiness  to  others,  and  en- 
joying its  exalted  felicity  himself.  He  freely 
sacrificed  ease  and  earthly  interests  that  he 
might  bring  honor  to  God  in  the  salvation  of 
men.  He  presented  himself,  and  all  that  he 
had,  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  Lord. 

In  1835  he  became  supernumerary,  and  sus- 
tained this  relation  during  the  remainder  of  life. 
But  while  partially  worn  down  by  his  arduous 
labors,  he  was  not  idle.  For  several  years  after 
he  wras  principally  employed  for  the  benefit 
of  children — gathering  them  together,  obtain- 
ing signatures  to  a  pledge  against  intoxicating 
drinks,  distributing  books  and  papers  for  their 
benefit,  and  exhorting  and  praying  for  them. 
Many  of  the  rising  generation  have  thus  been 


24  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

preserved  from  vice,  and  early  converted  to 
God.  To  this  work  of  love  Brother  Bangs  fell 
a  martyr.  In  June,  1848,  his  health  tailed,  but 
he  continued  to  labor  until  disabled  and  pros- 
trated. He  lingered  for  a  few  months — feeble 
in  body,  but  strong  in  an  unwavering  Christian 
confidence.  He  was  patient  and  submissive 
amid  his  sufferings,  and  joyful  in  hope  of  heaven. 
On  Sunday,  February  4,  1849,  he  gently  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus,  and  the  blood-washed  spirit 
entered  into  rest. 

Brother  Bangs  was  a  man  of  strong  views  and 
feelings,  of  undaunted  courage,  of  pure  inten- 
tions, and  of  a  tender,  warm,  and  friendly  heart. 
His  works  follow  him,  and  his  record  is  in  heaven. 
His  age  was  sixty-eight  years. 


DAVID  WEBSTER. 

David  "Webster  was  born  in  the  State  of  New 
York  in  1804.  He  professed  religion  in  1831, 
and  connected  himself  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  was  licensed  to  preach,  rec- 
ommended to  the  New  York  Conference  in 
1833,  and  received  his  appointment  for  that 
and  the  following  year  on  New  Paltz  Circuit. 
In  1835  he  was  appointed  to  Saugerties  Circuit ; 
1837-8,  Montgomery  Circuit;  1839-40,  Sul- 
livan Circuit ;  1841-2,  Marbletown  Circuit ; 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  25 

1843-4,  Saugerties  Circuit ;  1845,  Milton  and 
Marl  borough ;  and  in  1846-7,  to  North  New- 
burgh.  At  the  Conference  of  1848,  his  health  hav- 
ing failed,  he  received  a  superannuated  relation. 
Brother  Webster  was  a  man  of  sterling  integ- 
rity, of  a  meek  and  amiable  disposition,  and  was 
much  beloved  by  his  brethren  in  the  ministry 
and  his  numerous  friends.  He  labored  with 
great  acceptability,  and  was  successful  in  saving 
souls.  Many  stars  will  undoubtedly  deck  his 
crown  in  the  day  of  his  rejoicing.  He  closed 
his  earthly  career  in  Oakland  County,  Michigan, 
January  6,  1849,  aged  forty-five.  He  died  very 
happy,  after  having  called  his  family  together, 
and  exhorted  them  to  be  faithful  to  God,  and 
meet  him  in  heaven.  He  has  left  a  wife  and 
five  children  to  mourn  their  loss. 


THOMAS  BURGH. 

Thomas  Burch  was  born  in  Tyrone  County, 
Ireland,  August  30,  1778,  and  was  the  eldest 
son  of  Thomas  and  Eleanor  Burch.  His  par- 
ents were  members  of  the  Established  Church 
of  England,  and  were  much  respected  by  their 
neighbors.  His  father,  who  was  a  man  of  supe- 
rior talents,  died  when  Thomas  was  quite  young, 
and  left  behind  him  many  who  greatly  lamented 
his  death. 


26  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

In  the  year  1801  Brother  Burch  was  awak- 
ened to  a  sense  of  his  lost  condition  under  the 
searching  appeals  of  that  eminent  servant  of 
God  Gideon  Ouseley,  the  successful  Irish  mis- 
sionary, who  frequently  preached  on  horseback 
in  -the  market-places.  He  immediately  gave 
his  heart  to  God,  and  was  justified  by  grace 
through  faith  iruthe  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Soon 
after  his  mother,  sister,  and  brother  were  made 
partakers  of  the  same  blessing,  and  they  formed 
a  nucleus  around  which  hundreds  of  others  were 
soon  clustered.  They  all  became  members  of 
the  Methodist  Society. 

On  the  5th  of  June,  1803,  he  arrived  in  the 
United  States,  and  about  a  year  after  was  li- 
censed to  preach,  and,  in  1805,  was  admitted 
on  trial  in  the  Philadelphia  Conference.  He 
regularly  graduated  to  the  offices  of  Deacon  and 
Elder,  preaching,  in  the  meanwhile,  with  great 
acceptance  and  success. 

Such  was  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by 
his  brethren,  that  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  first  delegated  General  Conference  of  1812, 
which  was  held  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Soon 
after  its  adjournment  he  was  stationed  in  Mon- 
treal, Lower  Canada,  and  continued  there,  occa- 
sionally visiting  Quebec,  during  the  war  between 
this  country  and  Great  Britain.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  and 
was  soon  after  married  to  Miss  Mary  Smith,  a 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  27 

pious  young  lady,  of  an  excellent  character  and 
respectable  parentage. 

From  this  time  he  continued  in  the  itinerant 
ranks,  filling  some  of  the  most  important  ap- 
pointments, until  disease  disabled  him  from 
laboring  efficiently,  when,  in  1835,  he  toork  a 
supernumerary  relation  in  the  New  York  Con- 
ference. » 

In  this  relation  he  continued  for  about  six 
years,  when  he  resumed  his  efficient  service,  but 
was  able  to  continue  in  it  only  four  years,  when 
he  was  again  returned  supernumerary.  After 
the  death  of  his  beloved  wife,  who  departed  in 
peace  in  1844,  he  resided  on  his  place  at  Yon- 
kers,  Westchester  County,  New  York,  and  con- 
tinued there  until  about  nine  months  previous 
to  his  death,  when  he  removed  to  his  son's  in 
the  city  of  Brooklyn.  During  this  time  he 
occasionally  preached,  as  his  strength  would 
allow,  for  he  always  delighted  to  appear  in  the 
pulpit,  proclaiming  redemption  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lord  Jesus.  His  last  sermon  was  delivered 
about  ten  days  previous  to  his  death.  His  text 
was,  "  For  I  reckon  that  the  sufferings  of  this 
present  time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared 
with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us." 
A  fit  subject  for  one  in  his  situation  !  It  is 
stated  that  he  preached  with  great  freedom  and 
energy,  Near  the  close  of  the  sermon,  the  man- 
ner and  fluency  of  his  speech  producing  a 


28  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

visible  effect  upon  the  audience,  while  speaking 
of  the  "  glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us,"  he 
remarked  that  he  felt  his  strength  failing,  but 
his  heart  was  full  of  the  love  of  God. 

His  death  was  sudden,  his  disease  being  an 
affection  of  the  heart.  On  that  day  he  com- 
plained of  a  pain  in  the  breast,  and  through  the 
persuasion  of  hi*  son  he  lay  down  in  the  bed, 
with  a  view  to  obtain  sleep.  In  this  state  his 
son  left  him  alone  for  a  short  time,  when,  after 
an  absence  of  <ibout  fifteen  minutes,  he  found 
the  spirit  had  taken  its  departure  from  the  body. 

Thus  died  the  Rev.  Thomas  Burch,  aged 
seventy-one  years  wanting  eight  days,  having 
devoted  forty-four  years  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry. 

Much  might  be  said  in  praise  of  our  departed 
brother.  It  was  manifest  to  all  who  heard  him 
preach  that  he  spoke  with  great  earnestness  of 
manner.  His  shrill,  sweet  voice,  the  intonations 
of  which  fell  on  the  ear  with  charming  delight, 
the  words  coming  from  a  heart  overflowing  with 
love  to  God  and  man,  made  an  impression 
highly  favorable  to  the  preacher's  piety,  and 
produced  a  conviction  that  you  were  listening 
to  a  commissioned  messenger  of  God. 

But  he  has  gone  to  his  reward;  for  though 
he  left  no  immediate  dying  testimony,  a  life  of 
about  forty-nine  years  of  piety,  forty-four  of 
which  were  spent  in  the  ministry  of  reconcilia- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  29 

tion,  bear  witness  to  the  integrity  of  his  heart, 
the  righteousness  of  his  life,  and  his  prepared- 
ness to  "  enter  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord." 


NOAH  BIGELOW. 

Noah  Bigelow  was  born  in  the  town  of  Con- 
way,  Massachusetts,  March  4, 1783,  but  removed 
in  his  childhood  with  his  parents  to  the  State  of 
Vermont.  At  the  age  of  about  twenty  years, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  Methodist  preach- 
ing, he  was  led  to  Christ,  and  experienced  a 
change  of  heart  by  faith  in  his  name.  Feeling 
it  to  be  his  duty  to  unite  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  he  was  called  to  experience 
a  severe  trial  in  the  opposition  he  met  from  his 
friends.  He,  however,  counted  the  cost,  and 
after  due  deliberation,  gave  in  his  name  to  live 
and  die  in  communion  with  the  people  of  his 
choice.  Soon  after  this  he  felt  that  God  called 
him  to  the  responsible  work  of  the  Christian 
ministry;  and  though  in  this  he  had  to  en- 
counter stronger  opposition  than  when  he  joined 
the  Church,  he  followed  his  convictions  of  duty, 
and  received  license  to  exhort  in  1808,  and  the 
following  year  was  licensed  to  preach.  In  1810 
he  was  admitted  into  the  New  York  Conference, 
and  appointed  to  Ontario  Circuit.  The  western 
part  of  the  Conference  was  that  year  formed 


30  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

into  the  Genesee  Conference,  into  the  bounds*, 
of  which  Brother  Bigelow,  by  this  appointment, 
fell.  His  father  was  so  displeased  that  his  son 
should  become  a  traveling  Methodist  Preacher, 
that  he  refused  to  give  him  any  aid,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  run  in  debt  for  his  horse  and  outfit. 
In  1811  he  traveled  Wyoming  Circuit,  and  in 
1812  was  admitted  to  full  membership  in  the 
Conference,  and  ordained  Deacon  by  Bishop 
Asbury.  Such,  however,  was  the  state  of  his 
health,  that  it  was  thought  impracticable  for  him 
to  attempt  to  do  effective  service,  and  before  the 
Conference  closed  he  located.  After  rest  for  one 
year,  in  1813  he  was  readmitted  in  the  New  En- 
gland Conference,  and  appointed  to  Harwich  ;  in 
1814  he  traveled  Bernard  Circuit ;  in  1815  he  was 
ordained  Elder,  and  appointed  to  Norway  Plains ; 
and  in  1816  to  Pembroke ;  in  1817  he  was  sta- 
tioned at  Portland,  Maine ;  but  as  Elijah  Hed 
ding,  the  Presiding  Elder  of  Portland  District 
was  so  disabled  by  rheumatism  as  to  be  unable  to 
perform  the  duties  of  that  office,  a  change  wag 
made  by  Bishop  M'Kendree,  and  Brother  Bige- 
low traveled  the  district ;  in  1818  his  health  again 
failed,  and  he  located  ;  in  1823  he  was  readmitted 
into  the  New  York  Conference,  and  stationed  at 
Troy,  where  he  was  brought  near  the  grave  by 
a  severe  fit  of  sickness ;  but  his  work  was  not 
finished,  and  God  raised  him  up  from  the  gates 
of  death.  In  1824  he  traveled  Bloomingburg 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  31 

Circuit ;  in  1825  New  Windsor ;  and  in  1826 
Duchess;  in  1827,  during  the  session  of  the 
Conference,  he  was  obliged  to  submit  to  a  pain- 
ful surgical  operation,  and  to  take  a  superan- 
nuated relation ;  in  1828  and  1829  he  traveled 
Salisbury  Circuit;  in  1830  Pittsfield;  in  1831 
Dalton  ;  in  1832  Herapstead  and  Huntington  ; 
and  in  1833  Hempstead  alone;  in  1834  and 
1835  he  was  stationed  on  the  East  Circuit,  in 
the  city  of  New  York.  Here  his  health  finally 
failed,  and  in  1836  he  was  returned  superannu- 
ated. From  that  time,  such  was  the  state  of  his 
health  that  he  no  more  appeared  in  the  effective 
ranks,  but  labored  as  his  strength  would  admit, 
in  preaching,  attending  funerals,  etc. 

The  last  few  months  of  his  life  his  sufferings 
were  extreme  at  times,  but  he  was  enabled  by 
grace  to  rejoice  in  Christ  Jesus.  "My  only 
hope,"  said  he,  "  is  in  the  atonement.  On  that 
I  rely  alone.  Through  that  I  expect  to  be 
saved."  When  he  became  too  weak  to  speak, 
his  wife  took  him  by  the  hand  and  asked  him  if 
he  felt  the  Saviour  to  be  precious,  when  he 
nodded  his  head,  and  pressed  her  hand  in  token 
of  victory.  Several  times  after  thi&,  however, 
when  spoken  to  he  raised  his  hand  and  looked 
upward,  in  token  that  all  was  well. 

In  this  happy  frame  of  mind,  on  the  morning 
of  the  2d  of  August,  his  triumphant  spirit  was 
released,  and  took  its  departure  for  its  long- 


32  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

desired  home.  Thus  died  this  servant  of  God, 
in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age  and  the 
fortieth  of  his  ministry,  leaving  a  wife  and  one 
son  to  mourn  their  loss.  "  Blessed  are  the  dead 
which  die  in  the  Lord." 


JAMES  YOUNG. 

James  Young  was  born  in  the  city  of  New 
York  in  1785.  When  young  he  enjoyed  the 
advantages  of  education,  but  before  he  had  com- 
pleted his  college  course  he  was  compelled,  in 
consequence  of  ill  health,  to  abandon  his  literary 
pursuits. 

At  an  early  age  he  was  seriously  inclined, 
though  it  was  not  till  the  age  of  twenty-four 
that  he  experienced  religion,  and  connected 
himself  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Soon  after  his  conversion  he  began  to  exercise 
his  gifts  in  public,  and  in  1811  was  licensed  to 
preach.  In  1815  he  was  admitted  a  probationer 
in  the  New  York  Annual  Conference,  of  which 
he  remained  a  member  until  he  was  called  away 
to  his  eternal  reward.  He  was  successively  ap- 
pointed to  Schenectady  Circuit,  Albany,  Dela- 
ware Circuit,  Middlebury,  Charlotte,  Rhinebeck, 
Poughkeepsie,  New  York  city,  Albany,  New 
Haven,  Reading,  Hartford,  Bridgeport,  New 
York  city,  Mount  Pleasant,  Peekskill,  Eight- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  33 

eenth-street,  "New  Tork,  Centenary  Church, 
Brooklyn,  and  Sing  Sing.  In  1846,  his  health 
failing,  he  took  a  superannuated  relation,  and 
moved  to  Peekskill,  where  he  resided  until  his 
decease,  which  occurred  April  28,  1850. 

Brother  Young  was  an  agreeable  companion, 
a  uniform  Christian,  a  faithful  Pastor,  and  a 
devoted  minister.  His  preaching  was  marked 
with  originality,  and  was  eminently  practical. 
He  \|ps  a  successful  minister  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, being  honored  as  an  instrument  in  turn- 
ing many  to  righteousness.  When  his  health 
would  no  longer  justify  his  sustaining  an  effect- 
ive relation  to  the  Conference,  his  interest  in 
the  cause  of  religion  continued  unabated,  and 
he  often  preached  with  great  acceptability  where 
he  resided.  Less  than  one  week  before  his  de- 
cease he-  delivered  a  funeral  discourse  with  un- 
usual power  and  fervor. 

During  the  brief  illness  which  terminated  his 
earthly  existence  his  mind  was  wandering,  but 
his  uniform  Christian  life  is  his  testimony  that 
our  loss  is  his  eternal  gain.  Much  might  be 
said  of  his  excellences,  but  he  needs  not  the 
praise  of  men.  His  record  is  on  high,  and  his 
memory  is  fondly  cherished  by  those  who  were 
his  fellow-laborers,  and  by  many  who,  under 
his  ministry,  were  brought  to  the  kingdom  of 
grace. 

3 


34  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

SAMUEL  U.   FISHER. 

Samuel  U.  Fisher  was  born  in  "White  Plains, 
Westchester  County,  New  York,  November  30, 
1795.  His  early  religious  education  was  in  the 
very  lap  of  Methodism.  Not,  however,  until  he 
was  about  twenty-four  years  of  age  did  he  seek 
successfully  a  saving  interest  in  the  Lord  Jesus. 
At  this  period  he  became  assured  of  an  experi- 
mental interest  in  the  Saviour,  and  join^jl  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  con- 
tinued a  faithful  member,  and  subsequently  a 
minister,  until  the  day  of  his  death. 

He  was  received  on  probation  in  the  New 
York  Conference  in  1826,  was  ordained  Deacon 
in  1828,  and  Elder  in  1830.  In  1826  he  was 
stationed  on  Kingsbridge  Circuit ;  1827-8,  Stam- 
ford ;  1829-30,  Matteawan  ;  1831-2,  Duchess ; 
1833,  Amenia,  where  his  health  failed,  and  in 

1834  he  was  returned   supernumerary.     From 

1835  to  1838,  inclusive,  he  was  superannuated. 
His  health  having  improved  a  little,  his  relation 
was  changed  to  supernumerary. 

In  1840  he  was  returned  effective,  and  ap- 
pointed to  New  Rochelle  Circuit ;  1841,  Harlem, 
where  his  health  again  failed.  He  was  returned 
supernumerary  in  1842,  and  continued  so  until 
1845,*  when  he  was  superannuated,  and  re- 
mained in  this  relation  until  May  9,  1850, 
when  he  was  released  from  his  toils  and  suf- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  35 

ferings,  and  peacefully  passed  to  his  reward  in 
heaven. 

Brother  Fisher  was  twice  married,  and  in 
each  instance  is  believed  to  h.ave  been  par- 
ticularly happy  in  his  choice.  He  left  a  wife 
and  three  children  to  sorrow  on  account  of  his 
departure. 

As  a  man  he  possessed  good,  sound,  common 
sense,  was  well  acquainted  with  human  nature, 
and  therefore  well  qualified  to  make  his  way 
among  men.  Notwithstanding  this,  his  feelings 
were  peculiarly  delicate  and  tender,  which  made 
him  susceptible  to  pain  from  the  slightest  touch. 
This  may  have  rendered  him  instinctively  acute 
to  perceive  what  would  be  likely  to  wound 
others,  and  his  benevolent  heart  taught  him  to 
avoid  it.  There  was  in  his  heart  a  chord  which 
vibrated  at  the  touch  of  sorrow,  whether  the 
affliction  which  caused  it  was  his  own  or  that 
of  his  friends. 

Brother  Fisher  was  a  conscientiously  honest 
and  upright  man  in  all  his  dealings.  He  was 
a  sincere  and  humble  Christian,  often  saying, 
even  when  others  could  not  detect  a  wrinkle  in 
his  Christian  character,  "  I  am  a  poor  creature, 
and  have  no  other  dependence  for  acceptance 
with  God  than  the  merits  and  intercession  of 
the  Redeemer." 

As  a  minister  he  was  faithful  as  long  as  he 
could  attend  to  the  duties  of'his  calling,  and 


36  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

instrumental  in  bringing  souls  to  Christ-  —sound 
in  doctrine,  taking  the  word  of  God  as  the  only 
and  sufficient  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

He  was  well  acquainted  with  Methodist  the- 
ology, and  studied  to  show  himself  approved 
by  cultivating  his  mind  as  far  as  his  health 
would  permit.  As  a  preacher  he  was  earnest, 
pathetic,  and  forcible;  and  when  in  the  pulpit, 
evidently  felt  himself  charged  with  a  commis- 
sion from  the  Most  High  to  dying  men,*  and 
held  himself  and  his  hearers  accountable  to  the 
bar  of  God  for  the  manner  in  which  that  com- 
mission was  delivered  and  received.  On  these 
occasions  he  showed  himself  a  workman  that 
needed  not  to  be  ashamed,  and  the  congrega- 
tion felt  that  he  was  a  true  minister,  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  His  work  is  done !  May  we  follow  him 
as  he  followed  Christ. 


JOHN  CRAWFORD. 

John  Crawford  was  born  in  "White  Plains, 
Westchester  County,  New  York,  February  21, 
1761,  and  died  at  his  residence  in  West  Camp, 
Ulster  County,  March  7,  1851,  aged  ninety 
years  and  fourteen  days. 

He  was  converted  August  17,  1787.  The 
soundness  of  his  conversion  was  attested  by  a 
radical  change  in  his  conduct,  and  the  mani- 


SACRED  MEMOEIES.  37 

festation  of  a  burning  desire  to  do  good.  In  a 
few  weeks  after  connecting  himself  with  the 
class,  then  just  formed  in  his  neighborhood,  he 
was  made  the  leader.  In  about  seven  months, 
without  his  own  solicitation,  the  Rev.  Wilman 
Hickson  gave  him  an  Exhorter's  license.  With- 
in the  first  year  of  his  Christian  experience  he 
was  licensed  to  preach,  and  appointed  to' a  cir- 
cuit, by  the  Rev.  Freeborn  Garrettson.  He 
was  received  on  trial  by  the  New  York  Confer- 
ence in  1789.  After  traveling  seven  years  he 
asked  and  obtained  a  location.  After  seven 
years'  location  he  was  again  received  by  the  Con- 
ference, and  continued  in  an  effective  relation, 
excepting  one  year,  until  1819,  when  his  health 
failed,  and  he  was  never  after  able  to  do  ef- 
fective service. 

During  the  long  superannuation  of  our 
venerable  father  he  was  not  an  idler  in  the 
vineyard  of  the  Lord.  He  preached  to  the 
full  extent  of  his  ability,  besides  attending 
funerals  and  visiting  the  sick  whenever  called 
upon.  His  zeal  in  the  cause  of  God  never 
abated. 

He  is  characterized  by  those  who  knew  him 
in  the  days  of  his  strength  as  a  sound,  earnest. 
faithful  preacher,  scrupulously  punctual  to  his 
appointments,  and  apparently  fully  given  up  to 
his  work.  He  was  possessed  of  a  warm,  gener- 
ous heart,  and  never  felt  so  well  pleased  as 


38  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

when  conferring  benefits.  This  feeling  was 
manifested  to  the  close  of  his  life,  and  gave  to 
his  conversation  a  tone  of  benevolence,  which 
proved  very  attractive.  Perhaps  no  trait  of  his 
character  was  more  prominent,  nor  in  any  thing 
did  he  more  constantly  exhibit  the  power  of 
divine  grace,  than  by  a  steady  cheerfulness  of 
manner  which  made  his  home  eminently  happy, 
and  impressed  even  strangers  with  the  purity 
of  his  character. 

His  death,  though  long  expected,  was  finally 
sudden.  But  his  end  was  triumphant.  "  Let 
me  go,  let  me  go,"  said  he,  as  one  of  his  chil- 
dren was  anxiously  striving  to  revive  the  dying 
father.  He  went  as  he  wished  —  doubtless  to 
heaven. 


GOODRICH   HORTOK 

Goodrich  Horton  was  born  in  White  Plains, 
Westchester  County,  New  York,  whence  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  North  East,  where, 
in  the  twenty-first  year  of  his  age,  he  expe- 
rienced religion,  and  united  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  After  being  two  years  a 
member  he  became  a  Local  Preacher,  and  be- 
gan to  warn  sinners  to  "flee  from  the  wrath  to 
come."  In  about  one  year  he  was  employed  by 
the  Presiding  Elder  to  travel  Kortright  ^Circuit, 
where  he  labored  one  year  with  great  accepta- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  39 

bility  and  wccess.  In  1836  be  connected  him- 
self with  the  New  York  Annual  Conference, 
and  was  successively  appointed  to  Windham 
Circuit,  Prattsville,  Canaan,  (Conn.,)  Spencer 
town,  Norfolk,  Colebrook,  Stockport,  Egremont, 
and  Stockbridge,  from  which  he  was  called  from 
his  labor  to  his  reward.  During  these  fifteen 
years  of  his  ministerial  life  he  uniformly  sus- 
tained an  unblemished  Christian  and  ministerial 
character.  With  strong  confidence  in  God,  uni- 
form consistency  in  Christian  life,  and  an  ear- 
nestness in  feeling  and  effort,  he  was  useful  to 
the  Church,  and  secured  many  souls  as  seals  to 
his  ministry.  Like  the  great  Apostle  to  the 
Gentiles,  "  he  counted  not  his  life  dear  unto 
him  that  h«  might  win  Christ,  and  be  found 
in  him." 

Brother  Horton's  health,  for  ten  years  or 
more,  had  been  poor,  being  afflicted  with  throat 
difficulties,  but  he  constantly  labored  as  far  as 
he  was  able,  and  many  times  beyond  his  strength. 
His  brethren  on  the  circuit,  fearing  his  labors 
were  too  much  for  him,  desired  him  to  favor 
himself;  but  while  much  needed  to  be  done  he 
was  willing  to  toil,  even  unto  death,  in  the  cause 
of  his  Master.  He  died  of  dysentery,  after  an 
illness  of  three  weeks,  September  17,  1850,  aged 
thirty-nine  years.  His  state  of  mind  during  his 
sickness  was  such  as  might  be  expected  from  his 
uniformly-consistent  and  laborious  life.  On  the 


40  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

morning  of  his  death,  in  the  act%f  dying,  he 
shouted  "Victory  !"  and  with  this  note  of  tri- 
umph, his  spirit  winged  its  way  to  glory. 


JOHN  CRANVILLE  TACKABERRY. 

John  Cranville  Tackaberry  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  born  September  8,  1799.  He  emigrated 
to  America  in  1817.  He  experienced  religion 
in  July,  a  few  weeks  after  his  arrival  in  this 
country,  then  residing  at  Quebec.  He  soon 
after  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  1819  he  received  license  as  an 
Exhorter,  faithfully  and  zealously  serving  the 
Church  in  that  capacity  until  1801,  when  he 
was  licensed  a  Local  Preacher.  For  a  year  or 
two  subsequent  he  was  employed  under  the 
Presiding  Elder  to  labor  within  the  limits  of  the 
Canada  Conference.  In  1826  he  was  ordained 
as  a  Local  Deacon  by  Bishop  Soule.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the 
Pittsburgh  Conference.  At  the  next  session  of 
that  Conference  he  was  ordained  Elder  by  Bishop 
Roberts.  The  appointments  which  for  two  years 
he  received  in  the  Pittsburgh  Conference  were 
blessed  with  religious  prosperity. 

In  1829  he  was  transferred  to  the  New  York 
Conference,  and  received  his  appointment  for 
that  year  at  Troy,  and  successively  labored  as  a 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  41 

faithful  minister  of  Christ  at  Cattskill,  Brook- 
lyn, Stratford,  and  New  York.  During  a  part 
of  the  year  1836,  by  permission,  he  was  absent 
on  a  visit  to  his  friends  in  Ireland.  In  1837 
he  was  appointed  to  Montgomery  Circuit.  The 
two  succeeding  years  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Harlem  mission.  His  next  and  last  appoint- 
ment as  an  effective  preacher  was  at  Stamford. 
Here,  his  health  failing,  he  was  compelled  to 
take  a  superannuated  relation,  which  he  held 
till  1844,  from  which  time  to  the  close  of  his 
life  he  maintained  a  supernumerary  connection 
with  the  New  York  Conference.  During  his 
suspension  from  active  service  none  felt  so 
keenly  the  affliction  of  being  obliged  to  report 
to  the  annual  sessions  of  his  Conference  no  fa- 
vorable improvement  in  his  health. 

He  occasionally  preached,  but  never  without 
jeopardy  to  his  physical  strength,  for  such  was 
the  nature  of  his  complaints  that  even  the  effort 
of  one  sermon  was  liable  to  induce  a  relapse, 
from  which  days  would  scarcely  restore  him. 
The  derangement  of  his  nervous  system,  to- 
gether with  a  predisposing  tendency  to  conges- 
tion of  the  brain,  would  safely  allow  but  little 
mental  or  physical  excitement.  No  efforts  were 
BO  liable  to  affect  the  one  and  threaten  a  relapse 
of  the  other  as  the  labors  of  the  pulpit.  He 
longed  for  active  service  in  the  ministry,  but 
God  had  ordered  otherwise. 


4:2  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

As  a  preacher,  in  his  vigorous  days  he  was 
characterized  for  fervency  in  his  ministerial  la- 
bors, for  pungency  in  his  appeals,  and  at  times 
rising  to  commanding  power  and  pathos.  He 
was  eminent  as  a  textualist,  so  that  with  propri- 
ety it  might  be  said  of  him  he  was  "  mighty  in 
the  Scriptures."  This  gave  him  force  and  fa- 
cility, especially  in  doctrinal  discourses. 

He  died  in  the  city  of  New  York  May  9, 
1852.  He  had  secured  the  position  of  chaplain 
and  physician  upon  one  of  the  steamers  plying 
.between  New  York  and  Nicaragua.  He  had 

CJ 

made  one  trip,  returning,  as  he  apprehended, 
with  health  much  improved  ;  but  the  fever  in- 
cident to  that  southern  port  in  a  day  or  two 
after  his  return  was  developed,  and  he  survived 
the  attack  only  about  one  week. 

During  this  time  there  were  but  a  few  brief 
intervals  of  consciousness ;  in  these  intervals  he 
expressed  a  full  and  unshaken  confidence  in  his 
Saviour.  He  believed  his  departure  was  at 
hand,  but  strongly  affirmed  that  death  had  no 
terrors  to  him.  A  short  time  previous  to  his 
death  he  requested  an  intimate  friend  to  read 
from  the  Bible,  naming  the  chapter,  and  re- 
marking, "  In  the  word  of  God  is  my  trust ;  its 
promises  are  my  support."  Thus  closed  the 
sufferings  of  our  departed  brother  in  the  fifty- 
third  year  of  his  age,  leaving  an  afflicted  family, 
consisting  of  a  wife  and  six  small  children. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  43 

LUMAN  ANDRUS. 

Luman  Andrus  was  born  in  the  town  of  Litch- 
field,  State  of  Connecticut,  July  4,  1778.  He 
became  a  subject  of  saving  grace,  and  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  when  he  was 
about  fourteen  years  of  age.  His  father,  it  is 
said,  was  so  much  offended  with  his  religious 
profession  as  to  banish  him  from  his  home.  Of 
the  incidents  of  his  life  from  the  time  of  his 
thus  leaving  his  fathers  house  until  he  reached 
his  thirty-second  year  we  have  no  information*  . 

In  1810  he  was  received  on  trial  as  a  travel- 
ing preacher  in  the  New  York  Conference.  In 
1812  he  was  received  into  full  connection  and 
ordained  a  Deacon,  and  in  1815  he  was  ordained 
by  Bishop  Asbury  an  Elder. 

He  continued  his  effective  relation  until  1821, 
when,  his  health  failing,  he  was  placed  in  a  su- 
perannuated relation  to  the  Conference.  In 
1823  he  was  made  a  supernumerary,  and  in 
1826  he  was  again  made  effective,  and  contin- 
ued his  labors  as  an  effective  itinerant  minister 
until  the  Conference  of  1834,  when  he  again  re- 
ceived a  superannuated  relation,  in  which  he 
Continued  until  his  death. 

.During  his  effective  ministry  he  labored  on 
the  following  circuits  and  stations,  namely :  Mid- 
dletown,  Litchfield,  Cambridge,  Granville,  Long 
Island,  New  York  city,  Croton,  New  Kochelle, 


44  SACRED  MEMORIES. 


i!i 


Jamaica,  Cortlandt,  Coeymans,  ISTew  "Windsor, 
Albany,  Stamford,  Mount  Pleasant,  Westbrook, 
Wethersfield,  Fair  Haven,  and  Hotchkisstown. 

uring  this  time  he  was  favorably  known  by 
the  older  members  of  this  Conference  as  a  pious, 
zealous,  useful,  and  devoted  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Although  he  was  not  very  systematic 
as  a  preacher,  he  is  represented,  by  those  who 
knew  him  in  the  days  of  his  strength,  to  have 
been  an  Exhorter  of  uncommon  efficiency  and 
impressiveness.  His  conscience  was  extrei^ely 
tender.  His  physical  constitution  was  feeble, 
and  mental  temperament  somewhat  timid,  yet 
lie  was  always  steady  to  his  Christian  and  min- 
isterial purposes,  and  many,  no  doubt,  will  be 
the  stars  in  his  crown  of  rejoicing  in  the  day 
of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

For  some  time  previous  to  ^is  death  his 
physical  powers  were  so  enfeebled  that  he  rarely 
performed  any  public  service;  but  he  continued 
his  Christian  course,  faint,  -yet  pursuing,  until 
the  latter  end  of  June,  1851,  when  he  was  at- 
tacked by  the. disease  which  terminated  his  life. 
He  finally  died  in  the  peace  and  hope  of  the 
Gospel  on  the  twenty-second  day  of  July,  1851, 
aged  seventy-three  years. 

He  left  an  aged,  afflicted,  and  pious  compan- 
ion to  mourn  his  loss. 


SACKED  MEMORIES  45 

CHRISTOPHER  HENRY  HOEVENER. 

Christopher  Henry  Hoevener  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  came  to  this  country  about  nine- 
teen years  ago.  He  was  converted  in  Ohio, 
under  the  labors  of  Rev.  E.  Riemenschneider, 
our  present  missionary  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main, 
in  Germany.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in 
1844,  and  traveled  one  year  under  the  Presid- 
ing Elder.  In  1845  he  joined  the  Ohio  Annual 
Conference,  where  he  labored  on  the  Defiance 
and  Delaware  Missions,  and  nearly  two  hun-^ 
dred  souls  were  converted  under  his  ministry. 
In  September,  1849,  he  was  transferred  to  the 
New  York  Conference,  and  stationed  at  Buffalo, 
where  from  thirty  to  forty  persons, were  brought 
to  the  Lord  through  his  instrumentality.  In 
May,  1851,  he  was  sent  to  Newark,  New  Jer- 
sey, where  his  labors  were  attended  with  some 
success,  and  where  he  was  attacked  with  pleu- 
risy, a  disease  which  terminated  his  life  on  the 
24th  of  February,  1852,  aged  thirty-nine  years. 
He  preached  his  last  sermon  on  Rev.  xxii,  17  ; 
and  while  his  wife  tried  to  prevent  him  from 
preaching  on  account  of  his  being  ill,  he  thought 
he  must  preach.  "  If  I  fall,"  he  said,  "  I  want 
to  fall  in  the  arms  of  Jesus."  A  few  days  be- 
fore his  decease  he  remarked  with  heavenly 
sweetness,  "  O  how  glorious  is  this  perfect  love 
of  God  shed  abroad  in  my  heart  by  the  Holy 


46  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

Ghost !  I  am  ready  to  go  home."  On  ihe  day 
of  his  departure  he  remarked,  "  Tell  my  breth- 
ren in  the  ministry  that  I  have  fought  a  good 
fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept 
the  faith.  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a 
crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the 
righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day  ;  and 
not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them,  alsOj  that 
love  his  appearing."  One  hour  before  his  death 
he  remarked  to  the  weeping  company  around 
his  bed,  u  You  think  Brother  Hoevener  is  going 
to  die  ;  no,  he  is  going  to  live.  But  one  thing 
I  want  to  tell  you,  give  yourselves  up  to  the 
ways  of  the  Lord,  for  they  are  wonderful,  and 
have  a  glorious  end.  Whosoever  is  guided  by 
the  Lord  is  guided  aright.  O  how  good  the 
Lord  has  led  me  yesterday  and  to-day!"  An 
hour  afterward  his  happy  spirit  had  gone  home. 
A  wife  and  two  children  were  left  to  feel  their 
loss. 


THERON    OSBORN. 

Theron  Osborn,  the  subject  of  this  memoir, 
was  born  in  Anienia,  X.  Y.,  in  the  year 
1T96,  and  died  in  Marlborough,  N".  Y.,  August 
12,  1852,  aged  fifty -six  years.  He  informs  us,  in 
a  brief  sketch  written  by  himself  a  short  time 
previous  to  his  death,  that  he  was  the  subject 
of  serious  impressions  when  quite  young.  "At 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  47 

the  early  age  of  seven,  as  nearly  as  I  can  now 
recollect,"  -he  says,  "I  was  much  exercised  in 
my  mind  relative  to  the  salvation  of  my  soul ; 
and  so  deep  were  the  convictions  of  my  extreme 
vileness  in  the  sight  of  a  holy  God  that  I  often 
mourned  and  wept  before  him,  and  prayed  most 
earnestly  to  him  for  mercy.  I  had  clear  percep- 
tions of  the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin,  but  my 
views  of  salvation  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus  were 
not  as  clear.  No  permanent  good,  however,  re- 
sulted from  my  many  tears,  prayers,  and  repent- 
ings  till  I  arrived  at  the  age  of  about  eighteen, 
when  I  determined  resolutely  that  I  would  seek 
the  Lord  with  all  my  heart;  and  although  I 
sought  him  for  a  considerable  time,  I  sought 
him  not  in  vain ;  for  he  heard  my  plaintive  cry 
for  mercy,  removed  the  burden  from  my  aching 
heart,  cheered  my  drooping  spirits,  and  made 
all  within  me  rejoice." 

I  was  fully  aware  of  Brother  Osborn's  serious- 
ness about  this  time,  as  we  resided  in  the  same 
neighborhood,  and  were  intimate  friends.  Hav- 
ing determined  to  seek  religion  himself,  and 
being  desirous  that  I  should  also,  he  sought  the 
first  opportunity  to  call  my  attention  to  the 
interests  of  my  soul.  This  he  did  one  Sabbath 
•afternoon  when  we  were  together,  when  lie 
looked  me  in  the  face  significantly  and  solemnly, 
and  asked  what  I  thought  would  become  of  us 
should  we  die  before  morning.  These  words 


4:8  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

sunk  deep  into  my  heart.  "When  separated 
from  him  I  pondered  the  matter  seriously 
in  my  mind,  and  this  served  as  the  commence- 
ment of  a  train  of  emotions,  reflections,  and 
eiforts,  that  resulted  in  my  return  to  God  my 
Saviour. 

It  was  some  time  after  the  subject  of  this  me- 
moir experienced  religion  before  he  connected 
himself  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal-  Church. 
He  was  trained  in  a  Calvinistic  school,  and  it 
took  him  some  time,  and  cost  him  some  effort, 
to  divest  himself  of  his  early  prejudices  so  as  to 
comprehend  in  detail  the  peculiarities  of  Ar- 
minian  theology,  and  subscribe  to  a  new  formula 
of  doctrine.  But  this  he  did  seriously  and  un- 
derstandingly.  When  he  graduated  to  full  mem- 
bership in  the  Church  he  preferred  he  received 
license  as  an  Exhorter,  and  in  due  time  became 
a  Local  Preacher.  He  remained  some  time  in 
the  society  he  first  joined,  and  labored  zealously 
and  successfully  ;  and  his  efforts  to  do  good  were 
rendered  a  blessing  to  many.  In  1826  he  was 
admitted  on  trial  in  the  ISTew  York  Annual 
Conference.  He  continued  with  little  interrup- 
tion in  the  regular  work  in  the  various  fields 
assigned  him,  with  more  or  less  acceptance  and 
usefulness,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
a  man  of  rather  slender  constitution  and  some- 
what delicate  health  during  his  whole  life,  and 
was  not,  therefore,  able  to  perform  as  much 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  49 

work  in  his  Master's  vineyard  as  many  of  his 
fellow-laborers.  It  was,  I  think,  his  feeble  state 
of  health  that  induced  him  occasionally  to  retire 
from  effective  service  in  the  Church.  He  was 
uneasy  anfl  discontented  when  he  had  retired  to 
a  local  sphere,  especially  when  his  health  was 
so  far  recovered  that  he  thought  he  could  "per- 
form effective  work.  This  spirit  of  uneasiness, 
which  troubled  him  in  his  retirement,  deter- 
mined him  more  than  once  to  return  to  the 
itinerant  field. 

Brother  Osborn  was  remarkably  diffident 
of  his  abilities  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and 
very  often  did  he  enter  the  sacred  desk  with  a 
dread,  it  would  seem,  like  that  of  a  martyr  go- 
ing to  the  stake.  He  was  an  acceptable  and 
useful  minister  of  the  Gospel ;  but  so  lightly  did 
he  estimate  his  pulpit  labors,  that  he  could  scarce- 
ly be  persuaded  to  make  any  effort  to  secure 
the  scanty  pittance  allowed  him  by  the  Church 
he  served,  and  frequently  did  he  fall  back  on  his 
own  resources  to  provide  for  himself  and  family 
the  comforts  of  life.  He  was  truly  an  affection- 
ate husband ;  and  if  it  evinces  the  goodness  of 
one's  heart  to  treat  a  companion  kindly  and  ten- 
derly, and  to  strive  by  all  lawful  means  to  render 
her  life  easy,  agreeable,  and  happy,  there  was 
this  valuable  trait  in  his  character.  As  a  father 
he  loved  his  children,  and  was  loved  by  them 
in  return.  The  authority  he  exercised  over 


50  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

them  was  not  that  of  an  unfeeling  tyrant,  but 
emphatically  paternal ;  and  the  obedience  ren- 
dered, as  far  as  I  know,  was  truly  filial. 
Those  who  witnessed  how  bitterly  his  children 
wept,  and  with  what  convulsive  a^ony  they 
grieved  when  they  learned  their  father  was 
dead,  could  but  say,  "  Behold,  how  they  loved 
him ! " 

Their  widowed  mother  informed  me  herself 
that  these  children  would  cheerfully  do  any 
thing  she  requested,  when  they  were  told  it  was 
what  he  wished  when  alive.  As  to  his  final 
hour,  little  of  interest  can  be  said.  He  sincerely 
desired  my  appointment  to  Marlborough  Circuit, 
that  we  might  be  neighbors  again,  as  in  our 
childhood  and  youth.  His  desire  was  gratified. 
"But  it  seemed  I  only  came  to  see  him  die,  and 
officiate  at  his  funeral.  In  less  than  two  months 
I  was  summoned  to  the  dwelling  of  my  old 
friend,  and  found  him  prostrated  with  a  violent 
fever ;  and  I  deemed  it  prudent  to  say  but  little 
to  him,  hoping  at  the  next  visit  to  find  him 
better. 

But  soon  his  reason  was  entirely  dethroned, 
and  at  my  subsequent  visits  there  were  no 
lucid  intervals  when  we  could  ascertain  his 
hopes  of  a  better  world.  So,  uninterruptedly, 
he  continued  till  death  closed  the  scene.  The 
writer  attended  the  funeral  the  next  day,  and  to 
him  it  was  most  impressive  and  solemn.  The 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  51 

day  following  his  remains  were  carried  to  Ame- 
nia,  and  interred  in  the  Methodist  Cemetery  in 
that  town.  There  he  now  sleeps  by  the  side 
of  his  parents.  There  he  sleeps  near  th*  church 
his  own  hands  helped  to  erect;  sleeps  in  the 
graveyard  his  own  generosity  helped  to  pro- 
cure; sleeps  among  his  brethren,  some  of  whom 
were  converted  to  God  by  his  agency;  and 
there  he  must  sleep  till  the  trump  of  God  shall 
arouse  his  sleeping  dust  to  hail  his  coming  Lord 
welcoming  him  to  his  final  reward. 


HUMPHREY  HUMPHREYS. 

Humphrey  Humphreys  was  born  in  Manches- 
ter, England,  in  1785.  His  parents  were  Welsh, 
and  also  members  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist 
Church.  They  gave  -their  son  early  religious 
training.  In  early  life  he  removed  to  Liver- 
pool, where  he  was  converted  when  he  was 
eighteen  years  old,  and  in  the  nineteenth  year 
of  his  age  he  received  license  to  preach. 

In  the  year  1817  he  was  married,  and  followed 
the  tide  of  emigration  to  this  country.  He  con- 
tinued" to  exercise  his  gifts  as  a  Local  Preacher 
until  1822,  at  which  time  he  was  admitted  into 
the  New  York  Conference.  He  continued  his 
active  labors  among  us  until  the  Conference  of 
1852,  when  he  was  compelled  to  take  a  super- 


52  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

animated  relation,  after  an  itinerant  ministry  of 
thirty  years. 

He  was  first  appointed  to  Suffolk  Circuit, 
Long  Island ;  the  next  year  he  was  missionary 
on  the  east  end  of  the  island,  and  at  its  close  he 
\vas  ordained  Elder.  After  this  his  successive 
appointments  were  Bridgeport,  Reading,  .New 
Paltz,  New  "Windsor.  Montgomery,  Rossville, 
Hudson,  Derby,  Reading,  Jamaica  and  Rock- 
away,  Huntington,  New  Utrecht,  Yonkers  and 
West  Farms,  Huntington,  Egrernont,  Pleasant 
Valley,  Montgomery,  Sugar  Loaf,  and  Monroe: 
this  was  his  last  appointment.  Here,  in  1851, 
his  health  failed,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  he 
attended  to  his  work.  After  he  was  superan- 
nuated his  health  gradually  declined,  and  he 
wa^  shortly  confined  to  his  room  and  bed.  His 
bodily  sufferings  were  great,  but  he  endured 
them  all  with  Christian  fortitude  and  submis- 
sion to  the  divine  will.  No  words  of  complaint 
escaped  him  ;*  his  confidence  in  God  was  full. 
A  day  or  two  before  his  death,  a  brother  who 
had  been  with  him  frequently  during  his  sick- 
ness ealled  to  see  the  dying  minister  of  the 
cross.  Brother  Humphreys  requested  him  to 
attend  his  funeral,  and  added :  "  You  will  not 
say  much  about  me.  You  may  tell  the  people 
I  am  a  sinner  saved  by  grace."  On  the  29th  of 
September,  1852,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven,  and 
after  a  ministry  of  forty-eight  years,  thirty  of 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  53 

which  were  spent  in  connection  with  the  New 
York  Conference,  with  full  assurance  of  hope,  he 
tranquilly  entered  into  rest. 

Among  the  prominent  traits  of  Brother 
Humphreys'  character  were  distrust  of  self, 
fidelity  in  duty,  and  an  unswerving  honesty  of 
purpose.  If  his  preaching  did  not  dazzle,  it  was 
plain,  direct,  pointed,  and  practical.  In  the 
discharge  of  pastoral  duties  he  was  faithful :  in 
this  wide  and  important  field  of  labor  his  efforts 
were  untiring.  He  now  rests  from  his  labors. 


DANIEL   SMITH. 

Daniel  Smith  was  born  in  Salisbury,  Con- 
necticut, September  26, 1806.  Both  his  parents 
were  deeply  pious,  and  earnestly  dedicated 
their  children  to  .God.  The  aged  father — a 

CJ 

way-worn  pilgrim,  hovering  along  the  con- 
fines of  the  goodly  land,  joyous  in  hope,  sur- 
vived but  a  few  years.  The  sainted  mother 
departed  to  her  reward  when  the  subject  of 
our  narrative  was  but  four  years  of  age ;  but 
she  was  not  called  away  until  she  had  made  an 
ineffaceable  impression  upon  the  mind  of  her 
little  son.  Young  as  he  was  in  years,  he  did 
not  to  his  dying  day  forget  the  regularity  with 
which  she  led  him  by  the  hand  to  the  place  of 
her  devotions,  and  there  prayed  and  wept  over 


54  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

him,  daily  dedicating  her  son  to  God,  and  pray- 
ing that  his  life  "might  be  a  life  of  holiness  and 
usefulness.  How  precious  the  seed  here  sown 
in  the  virgin  soil  of  the  heart !  That  mother 
died.  Perhaps  the  great  struggle  of  the  dying 
hour  was  to  give  up  that  little  son.  Her  last 
lingering  look  toward'  these  mortal  shores  fas- 
tened upon  that  dear  object  of  her  affection, 
and  her  last  earthly  tie  that  was  sundered  was 
that  which  bound  her  to  him.  But  her  labor 
was  not  lost ;  her  prayers  were  not  unheard. 
Long  years  after,  the  precious  seed  that  had 
been  sown  in  faith,  and  which  was  already  ger- 
minating in  that  little  heart,  brought  forth  a 
harvest  abundant  and  glorious. 

When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  was  converted 
to  God.  Having  been  led  during  the  day  to  a 
determination  to  seek  religion,  that  very  even- 
ing he  walked  about  four  miles  to  a  prayer- 
meeting,  and  there  deliberately  announced  his 
determination,  and  besought  the  prayers  of  the 
people  of  God.  A  young  man  who  had  accom- 
panied him  remonstrated  with  him  for  taking 
so  decided  and  public  a  stand;  "for,"  said  he, 
"  should  you  not  find  the  blessing  you  would 
be  ashamed  of  your  course;"  and  then  added, 
"I,  too,  am  seeking  religion,  but  mean  to 
proceed  cautiously,  so  that  if  I  do  not  obtain 
it  soon,  I  will  be  able  to  cease  my  efforts 
without  disgrace."  Said  young  Smith,  his  soul 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  55 

rising  with  the  glory  of  the  sentiment,  "I  mean 
to  break  down  every  bridge  behind  me — to  com- 
mit myself  fully,  so  that  I  shall  find  it  impossible 
to  turn  back ! "  That  is  just  the  way  our  brother 
sought  religion,  and  that  is  the  way  he  lived  it. 
A  "bridge  behind"  was  the  last  thing  he  ever 
thought  of. 

His  conversion  was  soon  succeeded  by  the 
conviction  that  God  had  called  him  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  and  he  immediately  turned  his 
attention  and  directed  his  energies  to  the  best 
means  of  preparation  within  his  reach.  He  en- 
tered the  Wilbraham  Academy,  then  under  the 
charge  of  Dr.  Fisk,  and  prosecuted  his  studies 
with  great  diligence  and  success. 

Having  labored  nearly  a  year  under  the  Pre- 
siding Elder,  at  the  Conference  of  1831,  he  was 
admitted  on  trial  and  appointed  to  Derby  Cir- 
cuit as  the  colleague  of  Rev.  Heman  Bangs. 
Their  labors  were  greatly  blessed,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  year  they  reported  an  increase  of 
over  two  hundred  members.  In  1832  he  was 
returned  to  the  same  circuit.  In  1833  he  was 
stationed  at  Sag  Harbor;  in  1834  and  1835,  at 
"Winsted,  Connecticut ;  in  1836  and  1837,  at 
Forsyth-street,  New  York  city ;  in  1838  and 
1839,  at  Bridgeport;  and  in  1840  he  was  re- 
turned superannuated.  In  1841  he*  resumed 
his  effective  relation,  and  during  that  and  the 
following  year  was  "stationed  at  Redding;  in 


56  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

1843  and  1844,  at  Stratford ;  in  1845,  at  "Tarry- 
town  ;  in  1846  and  1847,  at  Seventh-street,  New 
York  city;  in  1848  and  1849,  at  Greene-street, 
in  the  same  city ;  and  in  1850  and  1851,  at  the 
St.  James's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Kings- 
ton. His  term  of  service  in  this  Church  had 
just  terminated ;  and  less  than  one  week  before 
his  death,  with  every  prospect  of  continued  life 
and  usefulness,  he  received  his  appointment  to 
the  city  of  Hudson. 

The  name  of  Daniel  Smith  is  closely  and  per- 
manently allied  to  our  Sunday-school  cause. 
As  early  as  1834  he  began  to  feel  that  there 
was  a  great  dearth  of  books  adapted  to  the 
young,  and  especially  of  Sunday-school  books, 
in  our  Church.  He  forthwith  devoted  himself 
to  the  work  of  supplyin-g  this  want ;  and  as  a 
monument  of  laborious  industry  and  persevering 
zeal,  has  left  over  tifty  volumes,  by  which  he, 
though  dead,  "yet  speaketh."  These  labors 
were  urn-emitted  to  the  day  of  his  death,  and 
indeed  one  or  two  works  were  left  in  manu- 
script ready,  or  nearly  ready,  for  the  press.  He 
was  a  chaste,  lucid  writer  —  not  ornamental, 
but  practical.  In  the  adaptation  of  subject  and 
choice  of  material  for  books  for  the  young  he 
exhibited  rare  taste  and  skill,  and  his  plans  were 
always  efecuted  with  good  judgment  and  excel- 
lent success. 

Many,  not  knowing  the   man,   would  infer 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  57 

from  his  literary  labors  that  he  was  a  recluse, 
or,  at  least,  that  his  pastoral  duties  must  have 
been  neglected.  Such  a  suspicion  is  •entirely 
without  foundation.  "  We  never  had  a  more 
faithful  pastor,"  is  an  expression  concerning 
him  that  has  been  heard  from  more  than  a  score 
of  those  who  have  been  blessed  with  his  minis- 
trations. He  was  a  great  economist  of  time, 
and  in  this  lies  the  secret  of  his  combining  so 
successfully  the  author,  the  pastor,  and  the 
preacher.  He  sought  out  especially  the  young 
of  his  flock  and  the  children  of  his  members, 
and  endeavored  to  make  an  impression  on  their 
minds  ;  and  when  they  could  not  b<f  seen  per- 
sonally, often  wrote  to  them,  pressing  upon  their 
attention  J;he  concerns  of  the  soul.  Many  a 
young  person,  through  these  personal  efforts, 
has  been  brought  to  God.  His  books,  then, 
were  not  prepared  in  time  secured  by  the  neg- 
lect of  other  duties,  but  by  a  wise  husbanding 
and  earnest  use  of  the  time  he  had. 

He  was  a  plain,  practical,  earnest  preacher. 
His  discourses  always  evinced  study  and  careful 
preparation.  His  motto  was,  "  Beaten  oil  "  for 
the  sanctuary.  The  clear,  practical  good  sense 
that  characterized  him  as  a  man  shone  conspic- 
uously in  his  pulpit-  ministrations.  The  grand 
aim  of  the  discourse  would  be  apparent  through- 
.out,  and  though  it  might  be  enlivened,  and  suc- 
cessive points  illustrated  or  enforced  by  perti- 


58  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

nent  anecdotes,  yet  the  grand  design  of  the 
whole  would  never  be  lo&t  sight  of. 

In  tBe  expression  and  in  the  maintenance  of 
his  opinions  he  was  intrepid,  but  not  dogmatic. 
He  had  firmness  without  doggedness,  independ- 
ence and  confidence  without  arrogance.  He 
was  no  man  to  make  a  compromise  of  principle, 
or  to  shrink  from  duty  from  any  fear  of  disas- 
trous consequences  to  himself.  "Who  ever 
knew  Daniel  Smith,  and  thought  of  turning 
him  from  what  he  conceived  to  be  his  duty  ? " 
was  the  pertinent  inquiry  of  one  of  his 
brethren  .^ 

He  was  a  practically  benevolent  man.  He 
not  only  sympathized  with  the  poor  and  suffer- 
ing, but  he  gave  from  his  own  resources  to  their 
relief,  and  enlisted  the  sympathies  and  means 
of  others  in  their  behalf.  He  was  not  merely 
the  friend  of  the  benevolent  movements  of  the 
age,  but  he  was  a  most  earnest  and  practical 
friend  of  them,  especially  of  temperance  and 
mis^pns.  At  the  last  session  of  our  Confer- 
ence, upon  making  himself  a  life  member  of  the 
Conference  Missionary  Society  by  the  payment 
of  ten  dollars,  he  remarked  that  he  intended  to 
pay  that  sum  annually  to  the  cause  as  long  as 
God  spared  his  lire. 

As  a  man  of  integrity  and  of  sound  judgment 
he  was  highly  esteemed,  and  filled  an  important 
post  in  the  Conference.  As  a  preacher,  he 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  59 

was  "available,"  and  as  a  man  of  sober,  dis» 
creet  judgment,  always  reliable.  He  repre- 
sented the  New  York  Annual  Conference  in 
the  General  Conference  of  1848,  and  stood 
first  on  the  list  of  reserves  for  that  of  1852. 
He  was  a  man  our  Conference  could  but  illy 
spare ;  but  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  doeth 
right. 

What  the  man  was  in  public  that  he  was 
also  in  private.  His  domestic  affections  were 
strong,  and  he  breathed  around  him,  upon 
his  little  flock,  the  purest  sunshine  of  their 
loveliness. 

Few  men  have  passed  away  from  us  more 
deeply  beloved  or  more  sincerely  lamented. 
His  death  was  sudden,  but  peaceful.  He  died 
confiding  in  that  Saviour  whose  atoning  sacri- 
fice had  been  the  burden  of  his  ministry  for 
twenty-two  years.  At  the  session  of  the  New 
York  Conference,  which  closed  on  the  17th  of 
June,  he  took  an  active  and  prominent  part. 
At  its  close  he  suffered  a  severe  attack  of  in- 
flammation of  the  bowels,  but  obtaining  partial 
relief,  he  went  home  the  next  day  in  order  to 
prepare  for  his  removal.  During  his  journey 
he  experienced  severe  pain,  but  no  serious 
danger  was  apprehended  till  the  day  before 
the  closing  scene,  which  was  on  the  23d  of 
June.  His  last  hours  were  hours  of  intense 
Buffering. 


60  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

Death  came  suddenly  upon  him,  but  it  did 
not  lind  him  unprepared^  It  was  hard  to  cease 
from  labors  in  which  his  heart  was  so  much  in-- 
terested.  It  was  hard  to  leave  his  family,  and 
especially  to  feel  that  they  were  left  without 
any  Certain  provision  having  been  made  for 
them.  But  he  found  help  in  the  time  of  need, 
and  upon  God,  the  rock  of  his  salvation,  he 
foiled  the  burden  of  his  soul.  With  reference 
to  his  future  prospects,  he  felt  that  it  was  an 
awful  thing  to  die,  and  to  go  forth  to  meet  a 
holy  and  a  just  God  ;  but  he  said  he  "  felt  as- 
sured that  God  would  not  cast  him  off."  He 
grounded  his  hope  on  the  Redeemer,  and  it  did 
not  fail  him.  The  presence  of  his  Saviour  as- 
sured his  heart,  and  he  said,  "  I  will  fear  no 
evil."  At  one  time,  in  the  midst  of  his  bodily 
agony,  he  prayed  God  to  cut  the  work  short  in 
righteousness,  and  grant  him  his  release ;  but 
soon  afterward  prayed  for  patience  to  endure 
whatever  suffering  God  might  appoint  unto 
him.  At  another  time,  while  the  attendants 
wrere  bathing  and  rubbing  him,  he  said,  "Ah, 
these  efforts  seem  like  the  adverse  winds  that 
keep  the  ship'from  entering  into  port."  When 
his  last  earthly  arrangements  had  been  com- 
pleted, he  dictated  this  message  to  the  Christian 
brother  selected  to  preach  his  funeral  discourse  : 
"  Tell  the  congregation  that  I  AM  A  SINNER 
I*AYED  BY  GRACE."  Soon  after  this  his  suffer- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  61 

ings  ended,  and  he  entered  into  rest.  "  Mark 
the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the  upright;  for 
the  end  of  that  man  is  peace." 


FREDERICK  W.  BRENNER. 

Frederick  W.  Brenner,  a  native  of  Prussia, 
was  a  subject  of  converting  grace  in  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  connected  himself  with  the 
Church  in  Kensington.  Subsequently  to  his 
conversion  he  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel, and  traveled  several  years  under  the  Pre- 
siding Elder  within  the  bounds  of  the  Philadel- 
phia Conference,  from  whence  he  was  transferred 
to  the  German  Mission  work,  and  engaged  as  a 
missionary  in  the  West  Baltimore  German  Mis- 
sion in  the  year  1847.  Here  he  remained  two 
years,  and  his  labors,  besides  building  a  mission 
chapel,  were  blessed  with  souls  converted  to 
God.  In  1849  he  was  sent  to  Williamsburgh 
German  Mission,  Long  Island  ;  and  in  1851  to 
Callicoon  Mission,  from  which  place  he  returned 
to  the  Conference  at  New  York  in  1852,  with 
his  health  broken.  With  grea*  reluctance  he 
took  a  supernumerary  relation,  and  chose  West 
Baltimore,  his  first  field  of  labor  in  the  German 
work,  as  his  residence.  He  died  of  hasty  con- 
sumption in  the  city  of  Baltimore  in  the  month 
of  September,  1852,  in  the-thirty-fourth  year  of 


62  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

his  age,  leaving  behind  him  a  bereaved  widow 
and  one  child  to  mourn  his  departure. 

Brother  Brenner  was  a  good  man.  For  many 
years  before  he  joined  the  traveling  connection 
he  was  the  support  of  his  aged  parents,  and  left 
his  former  employment  with  considerable  pecun- 
iary sacrifice.  He  was  a  holy  man,  zealous  in 
the  work  of  his  Master,  and  faithful  till  death. 


CHARLES  W.  CARPENTER 

Charles  W.  Carpenter  was  born  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  December  16, 1792.  In  a  brief  rec- 
ord made  by  himself  of  his  early  religious  ex- 
perience he  says  :  "  Though  at  different  times  I 
was  the  subject  of  serious  thoughts,  yet  no  last- 
ing impressions  were  made  upon  my  mind  until 
my  fourteenth  year.  At  that  time  my  parents 
lived  in  Brooklyn,  where  they  retired  in  the 
summer  season  for  the  benefit  of  pure  air.  A 
revival  of  religion  broke  out  under  Mr.  E. 
Cooper,  then  stationed  in  that  place.  On  a 
Sabbath  evening,  having  loitered  about  the 
meeting-house  until  after  the  sermon  had  closed, 
I  went  in  to  see  the  exercises  which  took  place 
among  those  that  were  under  awakenings.  My 
attention  was  caught  by  the  earnest  devotion  of 
a  young  man  just  emerged  from  darkness  into 
light.  I  looked  at  him  for  some  time,  when  my 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  63 

heart  became  so  affected  that  I  could  not  refrain 
from  shedding  tears.  I  felt  an  earnest  desire 
for  the  same  enjoyment  which  he  seemed  al- 
ready in  possession  of,  but  did  not  feel  in  so 
great  a  degree  as  many  the  horrors  of  a  guilty 
conscience.  This  may  have  been  in  consequence 
of  my  tender  years.  I  sat  down  with  a  sorrow- 
ful heart,  when  a  godly  man,  James  Herbert, 
noticing  my  agitation,  came  to  me,  and  in  an 
affectionate  strain  urged  the  necessity  of  my 
being  born  again.  •  His  words,  attended  with 
the  power  of  God,  fastened  conviction  on  my 
mind.  I  remained  in  the  meeting-house  till 
quite  late,  my  burden  and  sorrow  of  soul  con- 
tinually increasing.  On  Thursday  evening,  in 
conversation  with  a  young  disciple  of  Christ,  P. 
Cooper,  my  mind  seemed  measurably  relieved, 
but  yet  I  was  not  satisfied.  In  the  course  of 
the  Friday  following  I  retired  frequently  and 
poured  out  my  soul  to  God  in  prayer.  In  the 
afternoon,  while  engaged  in  private,  (the  very 
spot  I  well  remember,)  I  felt  a  sudden  and  glori  ^us 
change  of  my  feelings.  My  burden  was  fully 
removed.  My  soul  was  filled  with  inexpressible 
peace,  and  I  arose  from  a  suppliant  posture  not 
doubting  but  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  had  par- 
doned my  sins.  I  commenced  a  new  life,  en- 
deavoring t&  follow  the  commandments  of  the 
Lord,  which  I  found  not  grievous,  but  pleasant 
and  delightsome  to  my  soul.  My  mind  con- 


64  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

stantly  dwelt  upon  new  and  ravishing  scenes 
which  opened  on  a  sudden  to  my  view.  All 
nature  seemed  to  wear  a  different  aspect,  and 
every  visible  part  of  creation  the  marks  of -Deity. 
For  many  days  I  felt  like  an  inhabitant  of  an- 
other region,  and  sought  only  such  conversation 
as  led  my  tender  mind  into  further  discoveries 
of  the  unfolding  mysteries  of  divine  revelation 
The  Bible  was  my  choice  companion,  nor  did  1 
ever  seem  weary  of  poring  over  its  most  pre- 
cious contents." 

This  brief  account  of  Brother  Carpenter's 
awakening  and  conversion  is  judged  to  have 
been  made  in  the  year  1814,  and  except  a  week- 
ly diary  of  his  religious  exercise  of  mind,  and  of 
his  labors  during  a  part  of  the  year  1832,  it  is 
not  known  that  any  other  record  of  his  personal 
religious  state  is  extant. 

From  official  testimonials,  and  the  general 
Minutes,  we  gather  the  following  statistical  -in- 
formation concerning  his  labors  in  the  work  of 
the  ministry :  His  first  license  to  exhort  is  signed 
by  the  Kev.  F.  Garrettson,  and  is  dated  April 
23,  1812.  October  28,  of  the  same  year,  he  was 
licensed  as  a  Local  Preacher  by  a  Quarterly 
Conference  in  the  city  of  New  York.  In  the 
year  1814  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  New 
Tork  Annual  Conference,  and  appointed  to  the 
Suffolk  and  Sag  Harbor  Circuit.  At  the  close 
of  that  year  he  retired.  His  licenses  for  the 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  65 

years  1815  and  1816  are  signed  by  the  Rev.  S. 
Merwin,  but  for  the  three  years  succeeding  they 
are  dated  in  Savannah,  Georgia.  In  1820  he 
was  ordained  Deacon  by  Bishop  George.  In 
1825  he  was  elected  to  Elders'  orders,  to  which 
lie  was  ordained  May  14,  1826.  In  1828  he  was 
again  admitted  on  trial  in  the  New  York  Con- 
ference, and  again  appointed  to  Suffolk  and  Sag 
Harbor  Circuit ;  in  1829  he  was  sent  to  Sag 
Harbor,  to  which  he  was  returned  for  the  year 
1830  ;  in  the  years  1831  and  1832  he  labored  in 
Brooklyn  ;  in  1833  he  was  in  the  New  York 
West  Circuit ;  in  1834  and  1835  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  Sag  Harbor  and  Bridgehampton  ;  in 
1836  and  1837  he  was  in  charge  of  the  New 
York  West  Circuit ;  in  1838  and  1839  he  was 
stationed  in  Poughkeepsie.  From  the  year 
1840  to  the  year  1843  inclusive  he  wras  Presid- 
ing Elder  on  the  New  Haven  District,  where  he 
was  greatly  beloved  and  respected  both  by  the 
preachers  and  members  of  the  Church.  In  1844 
and  1845  he  was  stationed  in  Washington-street, 
Brooklyn  ;  in  1846  and  184T  he  was  on  the  New 
Paltz  and  Plattekill  Circuit ;  in  1848  and  1849 
he  labored  in  Newburgh  North ;  in  1850  and 
1851  he  was  appointed  to  Plattekill  as  a  super- 
numerary; in  1852  he  was  appointed  to  Pleasant 
Valley  as  a 'supernumerary.  ^On  the  10th  of 
May,  1853,  during  the  session  of  the  Conference, 
his  labors  and  life  terminated  in  a  firm  and  joy- 


66  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

ous  hope  of  eternal  rest  in  the  town  of  Platte- 
kill,  where  he  had  resided  for  the  last  three 
years  preceding  his  death. 

Brother  Carpenter's  character,  from  its  uni- 
formity, is  more  difficult  of  delineation  than 
otherwise  it  would  be  if  it  stood  out  in  promi- 
nent traits.  Still  his  friends  could  easily  appre- 
ciate it,  and  fondly  and  earnestly  love  him. 
Indeed,  loveliness  was  his  general  characteristic. 
Naturally  mild  and  amiable  in  his  disposition, 
grace  made  him  emphatically  a  Christian  gen- 
tleman. His  early  literary  advantages  were 
above  the  medium  of  those  of  his  early  associates, 
which,  by  habits  of  application,  made  him  both 
an  intelligent  Christian  and  an  able  minister  of 
Christ.  Though  not  physically  strong,  the 
depth  of  his  religious  convictions,  and  his  zeal 
in  the  service  of  his  Master,  made  him  an  effi- 
cient minister  of  the  New  Testament.  His  gen- 
eral clearness  and  soundness  of  judgment,  his 
prudence  and  wisdom,  gave  him  a  'high  and 
strong  position  in  the  confidence  of  his  brethren 
in  the  ministry  and  in  the  laity.  The  estinfa- 
tion  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  Conference  is 
shown  by  the  stations  which  he  occupied,  by  his 
having  been  more  than  once  elected  a  delegate 
to  the  General  Conference,  and  by  having  been 
chosen  secretary  of  his  own  Annual  Conference 
for  a  series  of  years  preceding  the  close  of  his 
life. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  67 

His  last  sickness  was  complicated  and  violent, 
and  precluded  much  conversation  with  his 
friends.  He  scarcely  expressed  any  anxiety 
other  than  to  meet  his  brethren  in  Conference. 
This  was  a  very  dear  privilege,  and  not  easily 
surrendered.  But  not  by  necessity  only  he 
yielded  it,  for  he  felt  that  he  would  soon  meet 
some  of  his  elder  brethren  in  Christ,  who  had 
been  fathers  to  him  in  the  Gospel,  and  among 
them  the  revered  Ostrander,  who  had  but  a  lit- 
tle preceded  him  from  the  same  house  in  which 
he  himself  was  so  soon  to  take  his  departure  to 
a  mansion  above.  But  Brother  Carpenter  has 
gone  to  rest.  It  is  all  right ;  yet  we  feel  his 
loss  as  a  minister,  and  as  a  very  dear  Christian 
friend.  May  the  Father  of  mercy  help  us  also 
to  be  ready,  "  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think 
not  the  Son  of  man  cometh." 


BEZALEEL  HOWE. 

Bezaleel  Howe  was  born  at  Tower  Hill, 
Ducfiess  County,  New  York,  July  14,  1Y81. 
Having  been  early  deprived  of  both  father 
and  mother  he  was  adoptejl  by  a  friend,  from 
whom  he  received  kind  treatment  and  fatherly 
care. 

Prompted  by  a  strong  thirst  for  knowledge, 
he  read  all  the  books  to  which  he  could  obtain 


68  SACRED  MEMORIES, 

access,  not  excepting  the  infidel  works  of  Paine 
and  Rousseau.  These  works  made  a  deep  im- 
pression on  his  youthful  mind,  and  for  many 
years  he  was  an  avowed  infidel.  The  unhappy 
death,  however,  in  his  own  neighborhood,  of  a 
notorious  advocate  of  those  pernicious  principles 
led  to  an  immediate  and  total  renunciation  of 
them,  and  to  the  admission  of  the  truth  of  Di- 
vine revelation.  Deeply  convinced  of  his  sin- 
fulness  and  danger,  he  became  a  regular  attend-, 
ant  upon  the  ministrations  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  subsequently  united  with 
it  as  the  Church  of  his  choice.  Through  the 
solicitations  of  a  friend  he  commenced  family 
prayer,  and  continued  in  the  duty  until  he  could 
not  only  pray  for  the  mercy  he  so  deeply  felt 
the  need  of,  but  could  also  rejoice  in  the  evi- 
dence of  pardoned  sin,  and  in  the  consolations 
of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

After  this  great  change  in  his  spiritual  state 
he  continued  for  many  years  a  highly  accepta- 
ble and  useful  member  of  the  Church.  But  a 
more  extensive  field  of  usefulness  awaited  him. 
Having  been  called  of  God  to  the  ministerial 
oifice,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  offer  himself  to  the 
Church  as  an  itinerant  minister,  and  was  admit- 
ted into  the  ]STew  York  Conference  in  1823.  of 
which  body  he  continued  to  be  a  member  to  the 
day  of  his  death,  not  only  without  bringing  any 
reproach  upon  himself  or  his  brethren,  but  with 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  69 

honor  to  the  cause  of  Christ  as  a  faithful  and 
zealous  laborer  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord. 

In  the  earlier  portion  of  his  ministry  he  trav- 
eled many  circuits  which  required  severe  labor 
and  privation,  but  he  went  forth  zealously  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duty,  and  God  gave  him  many 
seals  to  his  ministry. 

Brother  Howe  died  at  the  residence  of  his  son 
Benjamin  F.,  near  Kingsbridge,  N.  Y.,  June  25, 
1854,  perfectly  resigned  to  the  will  of  God. 
About  two  hours  before  his  death  he  desired 
prayer  to  be  offered  and  the  hymn  to  be  sung 
(his  favorite  hymn)  beginning 

*"  Jesus,  thy  blood  and  righteousness, 
My  beauty  are,  my  glorious  dress." 

To  the  prayer  he  fervently  responded,  and 
when  asked  if  he  felt  Christ  to  be  precious,  and 
the  grace  of  God  sufficient,  he  answered  with 
marked  emphasis,  "  Yes,  death  has  no  sting ;  I 
have  reason  to  praise  God  that  his  countenance 
shines  so  gloriously  upon  me." 

Thus  passed  away  another  of  the  fathers  of 
our  Israel  to  join  the  Church  triumphant  above. 


JEREMIAH  HAM. 

Jeremiah  Harn,  the  subject  of  this  memoir, 
was  born  in  Taghkanic,  Columbia  County,  New 
York,  and  died  in  Acra,  Greene  County,  N.  Y., 


70  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

September  8,  1854,  in  the  forty-seventh  year 
of  his  age.  He  became  the  subject  of  saving 
grace  in  the  year  1831,  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  the  Rev.  Elbert  Osborn.  He  was 
admitted  into  the  New  York  Conference  as  a 
traveling  preacher  in  1836,  and  continued  in  an 
effective  relation  eighteen  years.  At  its  session 
in  1854  he  was  stationed  on  Durham  Circuit  as 
a  supernumerary  preacher,  being  evidently  in 
poor  health,  resulting,  however,  more  from 
general  debility  than  from  any  particular 
disease. 

As  soon  as  the  state  of  his  health  permitted 
he  made  arrangements  to  hold  a.  protracted 
meeting  in  the  village  of  Acra,  and  was  on  his 
way  to  commence  the  meeting,  when  he  was  sud- 
denly attacked  with  the  cholera.  He,  however, 
reached  the  place,  not  to  preach,  but  to  suffer 
and  die.  It  is  not  known  that  a  word  was 
spoken  to  him  about  his  spiritual  state,  or  a 
prayer  offered  up  in  his  behalf.  He  was  anx- 
ious to  see  his  wife,  yet  when  she  arrived  he 
had  lost  all  consciousness ;  and  although  the 
deeply  afflicted  wife  called  and  sought  for  one 
last  word,  no  answer  was  given,  for  death  had 
sealed  his  lips. 

Brother  Ham  was  a  good  and  useful  preacher, 
and  has  been  instrumental  in  several  revivals 
of  religion ;  but  he  was  more  remarkably  de- 
voted to  the  interests  of  the  Sunday-schools,  pe- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  71 

riodicals,  and  benevolent -institutions  of  Che 
Church.  In  this  work  he  had  but  few  supe- 
riors. Although  he  has  thus  fallen  suddenly, 
unexpectedly,  and  without  furnishing  any  dying 
testimony  as  to  his  spiritual  state,  yet  his  life 
of  faith  and  labor  of  love  afford  ample  evidence 
that  he  has  gone  to  receive  the  reward  of  a  faith- 
ful laborer  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord. 


SAMUEL   D.    FERGUSON. 

Samuel  D.  Ferguson  was  born  in  ther  city  of 
New  York  in  1798,  and  died  in  the  same  city  on 
the  30th  of  December,  1855,  When  he  was  ten 
years  of  age  his  parents  removed  with  him  to 
Delaware  County,  1SF,  Y.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen, with  joy  he  responded  to  the  call  of  his  heav- 
enly Father,  '(My  son  give  me  thine  heart." 
From  tha,t  time  till  the  day  of  his  death  he 
maintained  his.  integrity,  n,or  did 

His  faith  forsake  its  hold, 

His  hope  decline,  nor  love  grow  cold. 

He  then  identified  himself  with  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church.  Soon  after  he  was 
moved  by  the  divine  Spirit  to  preach  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ,  and  was  not  disobe- 
dient unto  the  heayenly  calling.  He  joined  the 
Conference  in  1819,  and  continued  to  perform 


72  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

% 

effective  service,  asfrn  itinerant  minister,  twenty- 
five  years,  during  which  period  he  was  thrice 
honored  by  his  brethren  with  a  seat  in  the  Gen- 
eral Conference,  and  for  seven  years  was  in- 
trusted with  the  office  of  Presiding  Elder. 

In  the  spring  or  summer  of  1844,  his  health 
having  failed,  he  accepted  the  appointment  of 
Superintendent  of  the  Lealce  and  Watts  Orphan 
House.  He  remained  at  the  head  of  fhis  noble 
institution  about  four  years,  when  he  removed 
to  the  valley  of  Charlotte,  and  opened  a  boarding 
academy  under  the  most  favorable  auspices. 
As  a  man,  Brother  Ferguson  was  emphatically 
strong,  possessed  of  no  ordinary  share  of  enter- 
prise. In  all  the  domestic  relations  of  life  he 
exhibited  the  kindest  spirit.  As  a  son,  a  brother, 
a  husband,  or  friend,  his  heart  beat  with  the 
purest  affection.  As  a  Christian  he  was  meek, 
humble,  and  unostentatious.  His  piety  was  sin- 
cere and  ardent ;  and  he  glorified  God  in  "  his 
body  and  spirit,"  feeling  that  "he  was  not  his 
own,  but  bought  with  a  price." 

Our  departed  brother  was  an  able  minister  of 
the  Xew  Testament.  Plis  preaching  was  not 
with  enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  "  in 
demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of  power." 
Though  dead  he  has  many  living  epistles,  who 
will  rise  up  and  call  him  blessed  in  the  day  of 
his  rejoicing. 

Brother  S.  D.  Ferguson  was  distinguished  for 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  73 

benevolence.  All  the  religious  enterprises  of  our 
Church  shared  in  his  liberality,  and  were  not 
forgotten  in  his  last  will  and  testament. 

To  him  death  had  no  sting  and  the  grave  no 
terrors.  He  repeated,  as  expressive  of  the  feel- 
ings of  his  own  heart,  the  language  of  the  Psalm- 
ist :  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I  shall  not 
want.  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil ;  for 
thou  art  with  me ;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they 
comfort  me." 


PETER  P.    SANDFORD. 

Peter  P.  Sandford  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Lodi,  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  February  28, 
1781.  His  ancestors  were  among  the  earliest 
settlers  in  that  part  of  the  State,  and  were  high- 
ly reputable  in  character  and  circumstances. 
As  citizens,  they  were  noted  for  habits  of  tem- 
perance, honesty,  integrity,  and  hospitality. 

If  the  social  influence  is  in  any  sense  heredi- 
tary, they  were  happily  reproduced  in  the  early 
developments  of  the  character  of  young  Sand- 
ford  ;  for  at  a  very  early  age  Brother  Sandford 
gave  evidence  of  being  under  strong  moral  and 
religious  influence.  These  early  impressions 
ripened  into  practical  convictions,  which  resulted 
in  establishing  habits  of  moral  and  religious 
duties  which  remained  with  him  until  his  con- 


74:  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

version,  whidh  took  place  a  short  time  before  he 
became  eighteen  years  of  age. 

His  entrance  into  spiritual  life  was  eminently 
evangelical,  and  attended  by  the  clearest  evi- 
dence of  justification  through  faith  in  the  blood 
of  atonement.  His  Christian  experience  and 
character  thereafter,  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
were  honorable  to  the  grace  of  Christ,  and  in- 
structive and  edifying  to  the  Church  of  God. 
While  as  yet  he  was  a  child  of  but  ten  years,  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  gathering  the  children  of  his 
neighborhood  into  a  chapel  which  he  had  pre- 
pared for  the  purpose,  and  read  to  them  the  lit- 
urgy of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  then  preach 
to  them,  as  best  he  could.  These  habits  sprang 
from  a  conviction  that  he  was  called  to  the  min- 
istry of  the  word  of  God.  After  a  few  years 
this  impression  was  weakened,  but  immediately 
upon  conversion  revived  with  increased  power, 
although  he  did  not  enter  the  ministry  until  the 
year  1807,  at  which  time  he  was  twenty-six  years 
of  age.  He  began  his  itinerant  course  in  the 
Philadelphia  Conference.  Having  completed 
the  term  of  his  probation,  and  been  received  in 
full  connection  in  that  Conference,  he  was,  in 
1810,  transferred  to  the  New  York  Conference, 
in  whose  fellowship  he  finished  his  labors  and 
his  life.  0 

The  mention,  here,  of  a  few  facts  which  are 
alike  illustrative  of  his  character,  and  honorable 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  75 

to  his  memory,  must  be  accepted  in  the  place  of 
an  analysis  of  that  character.  From  the  time  he 
came  into  this  Conference,  during  the  long 
period  in  which  he  exercised  his  ministry,  he 
occupied  the  most  important  places  of  labor  and 
trust ;  and  from  the  year  1816  to  1852,  he  was 
elected  a  delegate  to  every  General  Conference, 
and  shared  his  full  measure  of  their  labors  and 
responsibilities.  Dr.  Sandford  was  a  thorough 
divine,  an  able  preacher,  a  judicious  adminis- 
trator of  discipline,  an  eminent  and  honest 
Christian  man,  and  in  most  respects  a  model 
Methodist  preacher.  But  he  has  passed  away. 
He  died  as  good  men  die,  calm,  confident,  and 
assured  of  everlasting  glory.  His  dying  testi- 
mony was,  "  I  have  prayed  for  a  holy  triumph, 
and  I  have  it."  The  last  words  he  uttered  be- 
fore his  death  were  those  in  which  Christ  gave 
the  great  law  of  a  Christian  life  :  "  Be  ye  also 
perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven 
is  perfect;"*  and  on  Wednesday,  January  14, 
1857,  at  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  he 
breathed  his  last  without  a  struggle. 


T.    F.   RANDOLPH  MERCEIK 

T.  F.  Randolph  Mercein  was  born  in  the  city 
of  New  .York,  November  27,  1825,  and  died  in 
Sheffield,  Mass.,  September  15,  1856. 


76  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

»r 

From  his  birth  lie  was  surrounded  by  circum- 
stances happily  adapted  to  develope  a  lovely 
and  harmonious  character.  When  scarcely  five 
years  old  he  was  the  conscious  subject  of  posi- 
ti\te  religious  impressions,  which  ripened  into 
genuine  Christian  experience  before  he  was 
thirteen,  lie  immediately  joined  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Potts's  Church,  (Presbyterian,)  of  which  his  hon- 
ored mother  was  a  member.  Here  he  was  soon 
marked  by  his  Pastor  and  others  as  a  youth  o^ 
unusual  promise,  and  his  early  call  to  the  Chris- 
tian ministry  was  confidently  predicted.  His 
father  reverenced  the  ministry,  and  believed  in 
a  u  Divine  call  "  to  that  sacred  responsibility. 
He,  however,  believed  it  to.be  his  duty  to  do  all 
in  his  power  to  qualify  his  son  for  a  post  for 
which  he  felt  assured  God  designed  him.  Ran- 
dolph's thorough  collegiate  and  theological 
training,  and  subsequent  entrance  into  the  min- 
istry of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  was,  therefore, 
a  favorite  subject  of  contemplation  in  the  home 
circle.  But  God's  ways  are  not  as  man's  ways ! 
During  Randolph's  second  year  in  college  his 
health  failed  and  his  studies  were  suspended. 
When  partially  recovered  he  re-entered  college, 
but  several  hionths  before  he  expected  to  gradu- 
ate with  honor  he  was  suddenly  struck  down 
by  i»  rush  of  blood  to  the  brain,  and  all  study 
was  forbidden.  This  interruption  of  his  cher- 
ished plans  weighed  heavily  upon  him  ;  but. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  77 

already  acmistomed  to  view  life  from  a  religious 
stand-point,  he  bowed  submissively.  His  afflic- 
tion drove  him  nearer  the  fountain  of  Infinite 
Love ;  and  with  the  increase  of  his  religious  fer- 
vor, his  convictions  of  duty  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel grew  intense.  Fearing  his  health  was 
inadequate  to  the  work,  his  friends  trembling! v 
remonstrated,  and  urged  a  season  of  rest.  But 
his  characteristic  reply — "  If  it  be  probable 
preaching  will  kill  me,  it  is  certain  I  shall  soon 
die  if  I  do  not  preach " — soon  silenced  all 
objection. 

About  this  time,  while  reading  "  Hill's  Di- 
vinity," and  other  theological  works,  changes  in 
his  views  and  feelings  occurred  which  convinced 
him  he  was  too  Arminian  to  fill  a  Calvinistic 
pulpit.  Acting  with  his  accustomed  prompt- 
ness on  this  conviction,  he  left  the  Church  of 
Ids  early  choice  and  joined  ours.  He  was  soon 
licensed  to  preach,  and  when  a  little  over  nine- 
teen commenced  the  self-denying  duties  of  aii 
itinerant. 

He  exercised  his  ministry  among  us  only  eleven 
years ;  but  he  proved  himself  a  "  workman  that 
needeth  not  to  be  ashamed."  Of  a  high  order 
of  intellect,  carefully  educated,  deeply  serious 
and  thoughtful,  with  a  profound  sense  of  minis- 
terial responsibility,  bold  and  faithful  in  the 
discharge  of  duty,  gentle,  amiable,  and  genial, 
he  was  eminently  fitted  to  adorn  both  public 


78  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

and  private  life.  Need  we  add  that  his  deep, 
ardent  piety  pervaded  and  beautified  his  whole 
being.  He  was  emphatically  a  pure,  humble, 
heavenly-minded  man.  His  rare  gifts  made 
him  an  attractive  speaker,  a  fine  writer,  a  suc- 
cessful author,  an  accomplished  debater,*  a 
choice  friend.  He  was  loved  even  more  than 
he  was  admired. 

Early  in  June,  1856,  he  was  attacked  with 
bilious  fever,  and  was  unable  to  attend  Confer- 
ence. He  so  far  recovered  as  to  appear  again 
in  his  pulpit.  And  by  the  advice  of  his  physi- 
cian he  spent  several  weeks  in  visiting  his 
friends,  hoping  for  entire  restoration  to  health ; 
but  about  September  8th  his  fever  returned 
with  increased  violence,  and  neither  skill,  nor 
affeotion,  nor  prayers  availed  to  stay  its  prog- 
ress. "  God  took  him."  During  his  entire 
illness  he  enjoyed  unbroken  peace,  and  main- 
tained perfect  composure,  while  his  friends  were 
agitated  by  almost  crushing  emotions.  For  sev- 
eral days  before  his  death,  to  use  his  own  lan- 
guage, he  was  "  penetrated — filled — with  a  sense 
of  the  Divine  goodness." 

Thus  passed  away  one  of  the  purest  and  most 
promising  of  the  sons  of  the  Church.  Many 
hearts  have  been  saddened  by  the  inscrutable 
providence,  but  we  "sorrow  not  as  those  who 
have  no  hope." 
*  *  He  was  one  of  the  ablest  debaters  on  the  Conference  9oor. 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  79 

WILLIAM  TEACHER. 

William  Thacher  was  born  in  Norwalk,  Con- 
necticut, in  1769.  He  was  early  left  an  orphan, 
his  parents  dying  when  he  was  only  eight  years 
of  age.  He  seems  to  have  been  very  early 
impressed  with  a  sense  of  religious  obligation. 
When  about  six  years  of  age,  to  an  inquiry  what 
he  intended  to  become,  he  replied,  "A  minister." 
This  juvenile  decision  seems  to  have  been  an 
abiding  conviction. 

At  fourteen  years  of  age  he  was  apprenticed 
to  a  trade  in  New  Haven.  When  nineteen  he 
started  for  the  South,  but  stopping  at  New  York, 
he  remained  there  one  year.  Here,  for  the  first 
time,  he  heard  Methodist  preaching.  The  force 
and  earnestness  of  the  preaching,  the  simplicity 
of  the  mode  of  worship,  the  zeal  and  devotion 
of  the  worshipers,  were  not  only  new,  but  deep- 
ly interested  him.  He  had  heard  of  the  Meth- 
odists, but  had  formed  an  unjust  opinion  of 
them.  His  prejudices  were  soon  greatly  modi- 
fied. He  became  a  frequent  attendant  upon 
their  services.  In  the  following  year  he  went 
to  Baltimore,  and  providentially,  as  he  consid- 
ered it,  became  an  inmate  in  the  family  of  James 
M'Cannon,  who  was  a  Class-Leader  and  Ex- 
horter  in  the  Methodist  Church.  In  a  few  weeks 
he  was  happily  converted  to  God,  and  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


80  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

On  his  return  to  New  Haven  he  was  severely 
persecuted,  and  even  warned  by  the  civil  au- 
thority to  leave  the  town,  which  threat  was 
subsequently  revoked,  and  he  was  allowed 
to  prosecute  his  business.  He  was  the  only 
Methodist  in  the  place,  and  in  order  to 
enjoy  the  society  of  his  brethren  he  went 
from  ten  to  twenty  miles.  It  was  well  for 
infant  Methodism  in  New  Haven  and  vicinity 
that  she.  had  so  valiant  a  champion  "as  young 
Thacher. 

It  was  here  he  realized  the  desire  expressed 
in  his  childhood.  He  became  a  Local  Preacher. 
When  twenty-eight  years  of  age  he  was  ad- 
mitted into  the  traveling  ministry,  and  joined 
the  New  York  Conference.  He  was  first  ap- 
pointed to  Litchfield  Circuit,  subsequently  to 
Redding,  Pomfret,  Duchess,  New  Rochelle, 
New  York,  Middletown,  Brooklyn,  Pough- 
keepsie,  Jamaica,  Schenectady,  New  Haven. 
In  1822  he  was  transferred  to  the  Philadelphia 
Conference,  and  successively  stationed  at  Phila- 
delphia, Newark,  and  Trenton  :  then  appointed 
to  the  charge  of  the  Philadelphia  District.  In 
1832  he  was  retransferred  to  the  New  York  Con- 
ference, and  appointed  successively  to  Newburgh, 
Hudson,  Flushing,  Williamsburgh,  Norwalk, 
Woodbury,  Milan,  and  Pleasant  Valley.  To 
some  of  the  above  places  he  was  appointed  Pas- 
tor for  two  or  three  separate  terms.  He  was 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  81 

forty-eight   years  in  the   active   ministry,  and 
nearly  eleven  years  he  was  superannuated. 

He  was  a  close  observer  of  human  character, 
by  which  he  was  eminently  successful  in  avail- 
ing himself  of  the  advantage  of  circumstances, 
and  in  applying  himself  timely  and  effectually 
to  the  temporal  and  spiritual  interests  of  the 
Church.  His  pulpit  efforts  were  characterized 
by  great  earnestness,  by  cffear  expositions  of  the 
Scriptures,  by  terseness,  brevity,  and  point. 
The  general  cast  of  his  sermons  was  doctrinal, 
while  his  closing  appeals  to  the  heart  were  often 
overwhelmingly  effective. 

For  the  last  ten  years  he  was  superannuated. 
He  retained,  however,  till  within  a  few  months 
of  his  death,  remarkable  mental  and  physical 
activity ;  always  cheerful,  sociable,  and  happy. 
His  increasing  infirmities  abated  none  of  his 
fervor  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  nor  his  confidence 
in  the  Saviour,  nor  his  assurance  of  a  blissful 
immortality ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  they  in- 
creased in  strength  and  intensity  his  Christian 
virtues.  But  as  he  approached  the  close  of  his 
pilgrimage  he  enjoyed  a  holy  triumph.  Often 
in  the  midst  of  his  severest  agonies  he  shouted, 
"  Glory  to  God  !"  "  I  am  happy  in  Jesus ; 
Jesus  is  so  lovely  to  my  poor  soul,  to  me,  a  sin- 
ner saved  by  grace."  He  died,  in  the  full  assur- 
ance of  a  blissful  immortality,  in  the  eighty 
seventh  year  of  his  age. 


82  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

OLIVER  ELDRIDGE  BROWN. 

* 

Oliver  Eldridge  Brown  was  born  at  Hunting- 
ton,  L.  I.,  in  1813.  His  father  dying  while  he 
was  young,  the  responsibility  of  his  early  train- 
ing devolved  upon  his  maternal  parent,  for  the 
performance  of  which  duty  she  seems  to  have 
been  peculiarly  qualified  by  her  discretion,  en 
terprise,  and  constant  piety. 

In  early  life  his  mind  was  seriously  impressed, 
but  it  was  not  till  the  age  of  seventeen,  while 
attending  a  camp-meeting  held  at  Hempstead, 
that  he  yielded  to  conviction,  and  sought  his 
soul's  salvation.  He  did  not,  however,  find 
peace  in  believing  during  that  meeting,  but  re- 
turned home  with  a  heart  deeply  penitent.  As 
he  had  an  engagement  to  leave  home  soon  after 
the  camp-meeting,  his  pious  mother,  feeling  the 
deepest  solicitude  for  his  salvation,  immediately 
made  arrangements  for  him  to  remain  with  her 
a  few  weeks  longer,  that  a  change  of  associa- 
tions might  not  draw  away  his  attention  from 
the  subject  of  religion.  Nor  was  she  unre- 
warded for  this  godly  effort,  for  soon  she  was 
made  to  rejoice  in  the  testimony  of  her  son  to 
God's  pardoning  mercy. 

Soon  after  his  conversion  he  was  impressed 
with  the  conviction  that  it  was  his  duty  to 
preach  the  Gospel ;  but  as  he  had  previously 
made  an  engagement  for  three  years,  he  con- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  83 

scientiously  fulfilled  it,  after  which  he  devoted 
his  attention  to  study,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years  entered  the  Wesleyan  University,  from 
which  he  graduated  honorably  in  1839.  In 
1844  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  New  York  - 
Annual  Conference,  and,  in  due  course,  gradu- 
ated to  orders.  From  the  time  he  joined  the 
Conference  until  his  decease,  he  continued  to 
perform  effective  service  as  an  itinerant  minister. 

As  a  Christian,  Brother  Brown  was  deeply 
pious.  With  him  religion  was  not  a  mere  the- 
ory, but  a  divine  and  heartfelt  reality.  He  was 
not  governed  by  impulse,  but  by  the  principle 
of  love.  His  piety  was  active,  impelling  him 
••onward  in  the  path  of  duty.  While  engaged 
in  obedience  to  the  behest  of  Heaven,  he  cheer- 
fully encountered  every  difficulty  incident  to 
the  accomplishment  of  his  responsibilities. 

As  a  preacher  he  taught  with  clearness  the 
cardinal  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  especially  those 
connected  with  Christian  experience.  His  ser- 
mons were  distinguished  for  methodical  arrange- 
ment and  a  chaste  style,  more  than  for  glowing 
eloquence  and  impassioned  appeals.  Plis  style 
of  preaching  was  convincing,  and,  no  doubt, 
at  the  judgment,  many  who  have  been  saved 
through  his  instrumentality  will  rise  up  to  call 
him  blessed. 

In  the  responsible  office  of  pastorale  was 
faithful.  He  sought  the  erring  that  he  might 


84:  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

reclaim  them  ;  he  visited  the  house  of  mourning 
that  he  might  impart  unto  the  bereaved  the 
consolations  of  the  Gospel ;  he  mingled  with  his 
flock  that  he  might  point  them  in  the  way  of  life. 
He  enjoined  on  all  the  faithful  observance  of  the 
means  of  grace,  and  the  sacred  performance  of 
their  covenant  obligations ;  he  took  a  lively  in- 
terest in  arranging  the  finances  of  the  Church, 
and  in  sustaining  her  benevolent  institutions. 

A  life  so  distinguished  for  consistent  piety 
could  not  but  end  in  peace.  His  call  to  depart 
was  sudden. 

He  was  attacked  with  dysentery  on  Thursday, 
the  22d  of  July,  which  terminated  his  earthly 
course  early  on  Thursday  morning,  the  28th  o£ 
the  same  month.  During  his  last  illness  his 
physical  prostration  and  nervous  depression  were 
so  great  that  he  said  but  little.  We  have  not, 
therefore,  to  record  any  rapturous  anticipations 
of  coming  glory  experienced  by  him  in  his  last 
moments.  But  though  he  had  not  such  ecstacy 
of  soul  as  filled  the  breast  of  the  martyr  Stephen 
when  his  faith  was  exalted  to  sight,  yet  his  con- 
fidence in  the  God  of  his  salvation  remained 
unshaken. 

On  the  day  preceding  his  decease,  when  asked 
in  reference  to  his  spiritual  state,  he  calmly  re- 
plied, "My  peace  was  made  with  God  while  I 
was  i^ftiealth.  I  have  not  that  work  to  attend 
to  upon  a  sick  bed.  I  can  now  say,  '  The  will 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  85 

of  the  Lord  be  done.' "  Thus  sank  quietly  and 
peacefully  to  rest  another  of  God's  servants  ; 
but  he  died  at  his  post.  His  body  with  his 
charge  laid  down,  and  ceased  at  once  to  work 
and  live. 


GEORGE  COLES. 

George  Coles  was  born  in  Stewkley,  England, 
June  2,  1792,  and  died  in  New  York,  May  1, 
1858.  He  was  con  verted  when  about  twelve  years 
old  through  the  instrumentality  of  Methodist 
preaching,  and  joined  the  first  Wesleyan  Soci- 
ety formed  in  his  native  village.  From  that 
.time  he  was  a  simple-hearted,  devoted  Christian, 
proving  his  sincerity  by  a  blameless  life.  Dur- 
ing his  youth  his  time  was  very  fully  occupied 
by  secular  pursuits,  but  he  found  leisure  to  study 
the  Scriptures  daily,  besides  reading  extensively 
religious  biographies,  general  literature,  and 
poetry.  Music  was  his  only  recreation,  of  which 
he  became  so  passionately  fond  as  to  lose  all 
relish  for  the  sports  and  amusements  commonly 
engaged  in  by  those  of  his  own*  age. 

When  about  twenty -two  years  old,  at  the  ear- 
nest solicitation  of  the  Society  to  which  he  be- 
longed, he  accepted  a  Local  Preacher's  license, 
and  his  name  was  entered  on  the  plan  of  the 
circuit.  In  1818  he  consummated  a  long-cher- 
ished purpose  by  emigrating  to  America.  On 


86  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

his  arrival  in  New  York  he  was  very  kindly 
received  by  Christian  friends,  and  was  engaged 
by  them  to  devote  himself  entirely  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry.  He  was  immediately  employed 
by  Rev.  Samuel  Merwin,  Presiding  Elder  of 
New  York  District,  to  supply  a  vacancy  in  Ja- 
maica Circuit,  Long  Island.  At  the  next  session 
of  the  New  York  Conference  he  was  received  on 
trial,  and  subsequently,  at  the  usual  intervals,  or- 
dained Deacon  and  Elder.  He  sustained  an  ef- 
fective relation  in  our  ministry  thirty-three  years, 
laboring  acceptably  in  various  charges.  Twelve 
years  of  this  time  he  was  assistant  editor  of  the 
Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  and  three  years 
sole  editor  of  the  Sunday-school  Advocate  and 
Sunday-school  books.  He  was  also  the  author  of 
several  interesting  works, "  The  Antidote,"  "Lec- 
tures to  Children,"  "  Scripture  Concordance," 
"  My  Youthful  Days,"  "  My  First  Seven  Years 
in  America,"  and  "  Heroines  of  Methodism." 

Brother  Coles  was  eminently  simple-hearted 
and  guileless.  Sincere  in  his  own  purposes  and 
utterances,  it  was  difficult  to  convince  him  of 
insincerity  in  oMiers.  Careful  of  his  personal 
habits  and  appearance,  gentlemanly  in  his  man- 
ners, amiable  in  spirit,  he  was  greatly  beloved 
by  all  who  knew  him.  It  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand how  any  one  could  be  his  enemy. 

As  a  preacher  he  was  not  profound  or  power- 
ful, but  clear,  practical,  instructive,  and  persua- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  87 

sive.  His  exposition  or  his  text  was  often  orig- 
inal and  striking,  and  his  illustrations  most 
happy.  His  most  effective  discourses  were  those 
delivered  to  comfort  Christians  in  affliction.  In 
his  pastoral  duties  he  was  very  faithful.  His 
love  for  children,  and  his  marked  ability  to  win 
their  attention  and  affection,  aided  him  greatly 
in  his  labors.  He  was  an  invalid  more  than 
half  his  life,  and  on  several  occasions  was  com- 
pletely prostrated,  and  suppo'sed  to  be  in  a  dying 
state.  His  buoyancy,  energy,  and  industry,  how- 
ever, made  him  a  very  happy  and  a  very  active 
man.  He  loved  to  labor,  and  continued  to  do 
so  until  he  was  obliged  to  desist.  In  1852  he 
was  constrained  to  ask  a  superannuated  rela- 
tion. Since  that  time,  though  he  frequently 
preached,  it  was  in  great  feebleness.  His  jour- 
nal, which  was  carefully  kept  for  nearly  fifty 
years,  shows  how  he  longed  to  live  and  labor 
for  God.  It  shows,  too,  an  almost  constant 
dread  of  death.  The  last  entry,  made  about 
two  weeks  before  his  decease,  was,  "  Death  does 
.not  seem  so  very  dreadful  as  formerly."  As  the 
hour  of  his  departure  approached,  however,  he 
obtained  through  grace  a  complete  triumph  over 
this  and  every  other  fear.  For  several  days  he 
longed  for  release.  About  one  hour  before  he 
died  he  requested  a  member  of  his  family  to 
pray  for  his  departure.  During  the  prayer  he 
responded  with  deep  feeling,  and  at  the  close, 


88  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

i 

raising  his  hand,  exclaimed,  "  Hark  ! "  as  if 
some  heavenly  voice  saluted  his  ear.  He  then 
leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  quietly  slept  in 
Jesus. 


AARON  HUNT. 

Aaron  Hunt  was  born  in  East  Chester,  N.  Y ., 
March  28,  1Y68.  In  his  youth  he  was  sur- 
rounded-by  temptations  to  profanity,  Sabbath 
breaking,  and  other  kindred  vices ;  but  by  the 
grace  of  God  was  preserved  from  yielding  to 
their  contamination.  When  near  seventeen 
years  of  age  he  went  to  reside  in  the  city  of 
Re\v  York,  and  was  at  this  time  a  regular  at- 
tendant of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
Two  years  later,  when  passing  old  John-street 
Church  one  morning  in  company  with  a  fellow- 
clerk,  their  attention  was  attracted  by  the  ear- 
nest tones  of  a  preacher.  They  went  in,  and 
heard  part  of  a  discourse  on  the  necessity  of  a 
change  of  heart.  His  companion,  speaking  with 
contempt  of  the  zeal  they  witnessed,  he  deter- 
mined to  go  alone,  which  he  did  until  the  Spirit 
of  God  revealed  to  him  his  need  of  a  spiritual 
regeneration.  For  two  years  he  strove  to  make 
himself  better, 'when,  from  the  influence  of  a 
remarkable  dream,  he  was  led  to  call  more  ear- 
nestly upon  God.  The  prayer  of  faith  was  an- 
swered, and  he  rejoiced  in  a  clear  knowledge  of 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  89 

sins  forgiven.  He  fought  and  obtained  religion, 
and  addressed  himself  to  the  work  of  leading 
others  to  the  same  experience  which  he  enjoyed, 
and  his  labors  were  blessed  in  the  conversion  of 
many  souls.  He  soon  felt  it  his  duty  to  preach, 
and  was  licensed  in  1 790.  The  assistant  of  Dr. 
William  Phoebus  being  sick,  his  Presiding  Elder 
requested  him  to  fill  this  vacancy.  He  went 
and  labored  until  1791,  when  he  was  received 
into  the  New*  York  Conference.  With-  the  ex 
ception  of  a  few  years'  location,  made  necessary 
by  poor  health,  he  remained  in  connection  with 
this  Conference  until  his  death. 

Father  Hunt  was  strongly  attached  to  the  dis- 
cipline of  our  Church,  arid  was  always  resolute 
in  administering  its  rules.  He  watched  with 
zealous  anxiety  any  deviation  from  the  old 
ways,  but  always  indorsed  those  new  measures 
j;hat  seemed  likely  to  increase  the  spirituality 
and  strength  of  the  Church.  He  approved  of 
the  aid  she  received  from  her  literal  y  institu- 
tions, but  often  expressed  the  fear  that  they 
were  multiplying  too  rapidly.  He  was  one  of 
an  honored  class  of  Methodist  preachers,  most 
of  whom  now  ";rest  from  their  labors,"  who, 
indeed,  bore  "  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day," 
and,  like  Asbury^Lee,  and  Garrettson,  who  were 
all  his  intimate  friends,  he  was  plain  and  neat 
in  his  appearance,  and  always  prompt  in  the 
distharge  of  his  ministerial,  duties.  In  pastoral 


90  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

and  pulpit  labors  his  aim  was  to  exalt  Christ, 
His  preaching  gave  evidence  of  a  clear  under- 
standing of  the  vital  truths  of  the  Gospel,  and 
to  his  last  moments  he  clearly  apprehended  and 
firmly  grasped  that  great  atonement  which  he, 
while  in  health,  had  so  successfully  preached  to 
others.  For  many  years  he  resided  near  his 
oldest  son  in  Leedsville,  N".  Y.  For  more  than 
three  years  he  was  afflicted  with  disease  of  the 
heart,  and  at  times  suifered  intensely,  but  al- 
ways retained  his  mental  powers  in  full  exercise. 
During  his  sickness  he  frequently -quoted  the 
hymn  commencing  with  "  Jesus,  lover  of  my 
soul,"  as  expressive  of  his  religious  feelings,  and 
was  often  favored  with  seasons  of  great  ten- 
derness and  rapture.  Nature  at  length  became 
exhausted,  and  after  severe  and  protracted  suf- 
fering he  sweetly  feel  asleep  in  Jesus  April 
25,  1858,  at  the  house  of  his  son,  Z.  S.  Hunt,  in 
the  town  of  Sharon,  Conn.,  whither  he  had  been 
removed  in  the  fall  of  1857,  aged  ninety  years 
and  four  weeks.  He  rests  from  his  labors,  and 
his  works  follow  him. 


WILLIAM  JEWETT. 


"William  Jewett,  the  subject  .of  the  following 
memoir,  was  born  in  Sharon,  Conn.,  in  the  year 
1789,  and  died  in  the  city  of  Poughkeepsie,  J»ne 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  91 

27, 185T,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  sought  and  obtained  forgiveness  of 
eins  through  the  merits  of  a  crucified  Redeemer. 
He  commenced  preaching  the  year  following, 
and  traveled  a  circuit  by  direction  of  a  Presid- 
ing Elder.  In  1808  he  joined  the  New  York 
Annual  Conference.  His  ministerial  labors 
were  uninterrupted  from  1807  to  1851,  a  period 
of  forty-four  years,  during  nineteen  of  which  he 
held  the  office  of  Presiding  Elder.  His  appoint- 
ments were  successively  Newburgh  Circuit, 
Black  River,  Whfre  Lake,  Ulster,  Middletown, 
Conn.,  Poughkeepsie,  Suffolk,  again  at  Middle- 
town,  New  Rochelle,  Newburgh  Village.  New 
Windsor,  New  York  city,  Amenia,  again  aj; 
Poughkeepsie,  Duchess ;  and  from  1832  on  the 
Hudson  River,White  Plains,  Newburgh,  Pough- 
keepsie, and  Rhinebeck  Districts.  The  last  six 
years  of  his  life  he  sustained  to  the  Conference 
a  superannuated  relation.  The  disease  which 
terminated  his  life  was  of  such  a  character  as  to 
deprive  his  friends  of  the  satisfaction  derived 
from  a  dying  testimony  ;  but  a  long  lite  of  un- 
tiring and  absorbing  consecration  to  Christ  and 
his  cause  furnishes  to  them  and  the  Church  a 
most  sufficient  evidence  of  his  ample  preparation 
for  that  solemn  change  which  has  passed  upon 
him. 

As  a  man  Brother  Jewett  possessed  many  es- 
timable traits  t>f  character.     Although  upon  a 


92  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

stranger  he  might  sometimes  have  made  an  un- 
favorable impression  as  to  his  social  and  friendly 
qualities,  yet  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  would 
disclose  a  candid,  noble,  and  generous  nature, 
while  a  more  true  and  reliable  friend  could  not 
be  desired.  As  a  Christian,  he  was  distinguished 
for  a  marked  decision  and  firmness  of  character. 
To  know  what  was  right  was  always  with  him 
a  leading  inquiry.  To  do  what  was  Bright  was 
a  controlling  and  absorbing  effort.  Nothing 
could  swerve  him  from,  the  path  of  his  duty. 
Regardless  of  consequences,  ne  obeyed  faithfully 
and  fearlessly  the  dictates  of  an  enlightened  and 
Christian  conscience.  As  a  preacher,  he  was 
plain,  simple,  and  eminently  practical,  con- 
stantly aiming  at  the  great  ends  of  pulpit  min- 
istration, the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of 
the  soul,  and  very  many  are  the  seals  of  his  minis- 
try. As  a  pastor,  he  was  wise,  diligent,  faithful, 
and  unusually  successful,  leaving  behind  him 
wherever  he  went  a  holy  influence.  As  a  Meth- 
odist, he  was  distinguished  for  a  warm  and  steady 
attachment  to  the  Church  of  his  choice,  and 
nothing  pained  him  more  than  an  apparent  in- 
novation upon  those  usages  and  high  grades  of 
experience  which  marked  her  early  history.  As 
a  Presiding  Elder,  he  commanded  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  his  brethren.  In  this  position  he 
acted  invariably  upon  the  principle  of  doing 
unto  others  as  he  would  that  others  should  do 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  93 

unto  him  ;  and  although  he  had  his  sympathies 
and  friendships,  he  n'ever  allowed  these  in  the 
least  to  interfere  with  what  he  believed  to  be 
the  interests  of  the  cause  of  God.  His  whole 
life  among  us  has  shown  conclusively  that  he 
was  a  candid,  honest,  conscientious  Christian 
man,  who  has  now  gone  up  higher  to  receive 
the  rewards  of  a  faithful,  devoted,  and  success- 
ful Christian  minister. 


JASON  WELLS. 

Jason  Wells  was  born  in  Petersburgh,  N.  Y., 
March  3,  1809,  and  died  in  Valley,  Stark  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  October  29,  1857,  after  an  illness  of 
three  weeks  and  five  days.  When  about  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  by  the  death  of  his  father  he 
became  the  chief  dependence  of  his  widowed 
mother  and  five  younger  children.  At  an  early 
period  in  life  he  was  impressed  with  the  neces- 
sity of  giving  his  heart  to  God  as  the  best  means 
of  securing  the  enjoyment  of  the  life  that  now  is 
and  of  that  which  is  to  come.  He  sought  earnest- 
ly, and  soon  found,  the  pearl  of  great  price ;  and 
from  that  day  forward  his  life  was  a  bright  ex- 
ample of  the  power  of  Christianity  in  renovating 
and  fitting  it  for  earnest  usefulness.  . 

Brother  Wells  immediately  connected  him- 
eelf  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 


94:  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

was  soon  after  appointed  Steward.  He  lecame 
an  active  Chrfetian,  and  labored  with  a^eal  for 
the  salvation  of  sinners  which  gave  evidence  to 
the  Church  that  he  was  called  of  God  to  a  higher 
work  than  merely  attending  to  secular  affairs. 
While  a  merchant  in  Coxsackie,  N.  Y.,  he  was 
licensed  to  exhort,  and  afterward,  by  the  same 
Quarterly  Conference,  was  recommended  to  the 
work  of  a  traveling  preacher.  He  was  admitted 
on  trial  in  the  New  York  Conference  in  J.839, 
and  for  sixteen  years  continued  to  discharge 
with  zeal  and  Christian  fidelity  the  arduous 
duties  of  a  devoted  minister  of  Christ.  His  ap- 
pointments were  as  follows :  Cornwall  in  1839, 
1840  ;  Litchfield  and  Watertown  in  1841 ;  Litch- 
iield  in  1842;  "Woodbury  and  Roxburyin  1843; 
Coeyman's  in  1844,  1845 ;  Jefferson  in  1846, 
1847 ;  Gilboa  in  1848  ;  Kortright  in  1849, 1850; 
Windham  in  1851,  1852 ;  West  Stockbridge  in 
1853,  and  Amenia  in  1854.  At  the  session  of 
the  Conference  in  1855  his  health  had  so  failed 
that  by  the  advice  of  his  physician  he  was  in- 
duced to  take  a  superannuated  relation.  He 
subsequently  removed  to  Illinois,  where  he  spent 
the  last  few  years  of  his  life,  and  where  he  la- 
bored with  his  own  hands,  though  feeble,  to  ob- 
tain a  subsistence  for  himself  and  dependent 
family.  Few  men  fulfill  as  faithfully,  in  all  the 
relations  of  life,  the  duties  of  an  active,  conscien- 
tious, every-day  Christian  as  did  the  subject  of 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  95 

this  memoir.  In  the  pulpit  Brother  "Wells  was 
earnest,  sincere,  and  eminently  practical.  He 
labored  as  a  workman  that  Mt  the  responsibility 
of  his  high  vocation ;  and  many  who  have  en- 
joyed the  privilege  of  listening  to  his  preaching 
will  bless  God  in  eternity  for  its  saving  power 
upon  their  hearts. 

Brother  Wells  was  twice  married.  In  1848 
he  was  left  with  two  young  children  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  the  affectionate  and  devoted  com- 
panion who  shared  his  earlier  ministerial  trials 
and  successes.  In  February,  1850,  he  was  unit- 
ed in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  T.  Williams, 
of  Middletown,  Conn.  He  was  a  Jfeind  husband 
and  an  affectionate  father.  On  being  asked 
during€Hs  illness  if  he  had  perfect  trust  in  his 
Saviour,  he  replied,  "Ne^wer  more  so."  That 
is  a  ground  of  confidence  which  can  never  be 
shaken. 


ADDI  LEE. 

Addi  Lee  was  born  in  •  Stanstead,  Canada 
East,  in  1816,  and  died  at  Ashland,  N.  Y.,  De- 
cember 8,  1857,  aged  forty-one  years.  At  an 
early  age  the  Gospel  became  to  him,  through 
faith,  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation.  Shortly 
after  he  felt  himself  divinely  called  to  preach 
the  word  of  reconciliation,  which  call  was  loud- 
ly echoed  back  by  the  Church  of  his  choice ; 


96  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

but  being  naturally  distrustful  of  his  own 
abilities,  and  possessing  a  nice  appreciation  of 
what  a  Gospel  mrn'ister  should  be,  to  discharge 
the  weighty  responsibilities  of  his  vocation,  he 
for  a  time  trembled  and  delayed,  but  yielded  at 
length  to  his  convictions  of  duty. 

In  1842  he  commenced  the  labors  of  an  itin 
erant  minister  by  traveling  the  Jefferson  Circuit 
in  the  Delaware  District,  under  the  direction  of 
the  Presiding  Elder.  By  the  same  direction  he 
traveled  Prattsville  Circuit  in  1843.  In  1544 
he  joined  the  Conference,  and  was  appointed  to 
Kortright  Circuit.  In  1845  he  traveled  Jeffer- 
son Circuit* again ;  1846,  Charlotte;  1847  and 
1848,  Franklin ;  1849  and  1850,  Prattsville.  In 
1851  he  was  appointed  to  Bedford-sti'ifet,  New 
York  city.  This  wae  his  last  appointment.  His 
constitution  being  naturally  frail,  before  the 
Conference  year  had  terminated  his  nervous  sys- 
tem became  entirely  prostrated,  and  remained 
BO  until  a  course  of  typhoid  fever  terminated  his 
life.  The  prominent  characteristics  of  this  la- 
mented brother  we*  conceive  to  have  been  faith- 
fully delineated  in  the  following  language,  by 
one  who  knew  him  well  and  is  competent  to 
judge,  to  wit :  "He  possessed  an  educated  mind  ; 
lie  was  a  logical  reasoner;  his  style  was  chaste 
and  classical ;  his  imagination  vivid  and  power- 
ful ;  he  could  make  sin  appear  exceedingly  sin- 
ful ;  his  mind  was  '  like  a  sea  of  glass  mingled 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  9T 

with  fire.'  Above  all,  he  was  an  earnest  Chris- 
tian ;  he  was  meek,  patient,  serious,  and  prayer- 
ful. He  lived  for  eternity;  he  died  as  he  lived. 
When  his  end  was  near  he  said  to  his  beloved 
wife,  who  was  trying  to  minister  to  his  comfort, 
'If  you  had  a  thousand  worlds  to  give  me  you 
could  not  better  my  condition ;  I  am  filled  with 
the  Divine  Glory,  and  if  I  had  the  power  I 
would  shout  it  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.'  And 
having  committed  his  wife  and  children  to  the 
widow's  God  and  the  Father  of  the  fatherless, 
he  said,  '  I  am  ready,'  and  departed  to  be  with 
Christ." 


ROYAL  COURTRIGHT. 

Royal  Courtright  has  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus. 
Our  beloved  brother  was  a  careful  observer  of 
"the  first  commandment  with  promise," — he  was 
much  devoted  to  his  aged,  widowed,  and  invalid 
mother.  He  experienced  the  blessings  of  re- 
generating grace  in  the  days  of  his  youth.  In 
1851  he  was  licensed  to  exhort,  and  was  licensed 
to  preach  in  November,  1852.  In  1853  he  was 
admitted  on  trial  in  the  New  York  Conference. 
He,  served  Cannonsville  one  year,  and  was  then 
appointed  to  Davenport.  At  the  expiration  of 
two  years  on  trial  in  the  Conference,  he  was 
duly  adniitted  into  full  connection  and  elected  to 
Deacons'  orders.  His  subsequent  charges  were 


98  SACRED  MEMOBIES. 

Equinunk,  Wayne  Co.,  Pa.,  and  Fiftieth-street 
Church,  in  the  city  of  New  York.  He  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  this  last  change  with  much 
zeal  and  great  acceptance  to  the  people ;  but 
being  compelled  by  the  failure  of  his  health 
to  resign  his  pastoral  charge,  he  retired  to 
the  home  of  his  brother-in-law  in  Delaware 
County.  He  viewed  himself  as  wholly  in  the 
hand  of  the  Lord,  and  when  asked  a  question 
as  to  the  state  of  his  mind,  he  said,  "  I  am 
just  as  willing  to  go  as  to  remain;  I  have  no 
choice." 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1857,  he  set  out  to 
travel  a  few  miles,  in  company  with  a  friend,  to 
visit  one  of  the  preachers  for  whom  he  cherished 
a  peculiar  regard ;  but  the  effort  was  too  great 
for  his  wasted  energies.  He  stopped  over  night 
at  the  house  of  Brother  John  Gregory,  of 
Andes,  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.  He  retired  to 
bed  feeling  no  inconvenience  from  his  ride  ex- 
cept weariness.  Between  three  and  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning  it  was  discovered  by  his  labori- 
ous breathing  that  a  change  had  come  over 
him.  His  traveling  companion  hastened  to  his 
bedside,  and  inquired  whether  he  was  any 
worse;  but  that  voice  which  had  sent  the  thrill 
of  holy  feeling  through  so  many  hearts  was 
now  effectually  silenced.  He  continued  to 
breathe  a  little  more  than  one  hour  after  the 
family  were  apprised  of  the  dying  condition  of 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  99 

their  honored  guest.  And  though  1  e  could  not 
speak,  he  seemed  -entirely  conscious  of  his  near- 
ing  the  portals  of  endless  bliss,  and  made  signs 
to  those<around  him  that  all  was  well. 


WILLIAM   B.    MITCHELL. 

William  B.  Mitchell  died  on  Wednesday, 
the  27th  of  October,  1858,  ag&l  forty-three 
years.  In  the  prime  of  life  and  in  the  midst 
of  his  usefulness  he  has  been  smitten  down, 
leaving  a  mourning  companion,  a  bereaved 
society,  and  a  sorrowing  and  sympathizing  com- 
munity. He  was  converted  at  a  protracted 
meeting  held  in  the  town  of  Meredith,  Delaware 
County,  in  1843.  The  morning  after  his  con- 
version he  called  his  workmen  together,  told 
them  of  his  happy  change,  and  that  thenceforth 
he  designed  living  a  different  life.  He  immedi- 
ately erected  a  family  altar,  and  while  pouring 
out  his  soul  in  prayer  to  God,  hard  hearts  were 
melted  into  tenderness.  Although  having  a 
family,  he  shortly  afterward  gave  up  a  lucra- 
tive business,  and  entered  heartily  upon  the 
work  of  preparation  for  the  ministry.  On  the 
20th  of  October,  1844,  he  received  a  license  to 
exhort ;  in  January  1845,  he  was  licensed  as  a 
local  preacher;  in  1846,  he  traveled  the  Dela- 
ware Mission  under  the  Presiding  Elder,  and 


100  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

in  1847  lie  joined  the  New  York  Conference,  of 
which  he  was  a  member  at  his  death.  He  was 
successively  appointed  to  labor  on  Wind  ham, 
Lexington,  Jefferson.  Prattsville,  and  Kt>rtright 
Circuits,  and  subsequently  to  Coxsackie  and 
Hyde  Park  stations.  Brother  Mitchell  was  em- 
phatically a  good  man.  His  life  was  useful  and 
consistent ;  his  zeal  for  the  interests  of  the 
Church  untiring ;  his  anxiety  for  the  salvation 
of  souls  earnest  and  abiding,  as  hundreds  who 
have  been  converted  through  his  instrumentality 
can  testify.  His  piety  was  deep  and  genuine ; 
the  kindness  of  his  disposition  endeared  him  \o 
all,  and  to  none  more  than  to  the  children  of  the 
Sabbath  school,  where,  on  the  two  latter  charges 
particularly,  he  was  known  to  be  a  constant 
attendant  and  a  faithful  worker.  All  the 
agencies  employed  by  the  Qhurch  for  the  diffu- 
sion of  light  and  truth  in  the  world  had  a  place 
in  his  affections ;  but  in  an  especial  manner  did 
he  love  the  great  missionary  cause,  in  regard  to 
which  he  was  conscientious  in  cairying  out  the 
provisions  of  the  Discipline.  His  liberality  (al- 
ways unostentatious)  is  doubtless  well  known  on 
the  circuits  and  stations  where  he  has  labored. 
In  him  the  Church  has  lost  a  warm  and  stead- 
fast friend,  a  deeply  devoted  Christian,  a  wise 
and  safe  counselor,  and  an  indefatigable  laborer 
for  the  salvation  of  souls. 

On   the    Thursday   evening  previous  to    his 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  101 

death  he  preached  his  last  sermon  at  Staatsburgh 
(•where  he  had  formed  a  class)  from  the  text, 
'  If  thon  hadst  known,  even  thou,  at  least  in 
this  thy  day,  the  things  which  belong  unto  thy 
peace!  but  now  they  are  hid  from  thine  eyes." 
He  returned  home  on  Friday  afternoon,  was 
taken  violently  ill  during  the  night,  and  although 
the  intense  pain  was  arrested,  still  the  united  ef- 
forts of  friends  and  physicians  failed  to  check  the 
progress  of  the  disease,  and  on  Monday  it  be- 
came apparent  that  he  must  die.  The  sad  intel- 
ligence was  first  communicated  to  him  by  his 
sorrowing  companion,  and  it  was  received  with 
calmness  and  true  Christian  resignation.  Said 
he,  "  All  is  well ! 

'  My  God  is  reconciled,  his  pardoning  voice  I  hear ; 
He  owns  me  for  his  child,  I  can  no  longer  fear.' " 

On  Tuesday  morning  we  found  him  dying. 
Upon  entering  his  room,  he  said  with  a  smile, 
"  Brother  Mooney,  I  shall  get  to  heaven  before 
you  after  all,"  alluding,  doubtless,  to  conversa- 
tions held  in  days  gone  by.  A  spirit  of  weeping 
came  over  all  present,  and  tears  of  mingled  joy 
and  sorrow  were  shed — joy,  that  he  was  thus 
anticipating  an  abundant  entrance  ;  sorrow,  that 
one  so  useful  and  so  loved  should  be  taken  from 
our  midst.  He  gave  directions  to  his  weeping 
companion  concerning  his  burial,  etc.,  and  then 
expressed  a  willingness  to  depart  and  be  with 


102  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

Christ,  which  was  far  better.  Being  let  down 
gently  irto  the  ;'  dark  valley  "  he  "  feared  no 
evil,"  for  Jesus  had  lit  up  the  pathway.  We  re- 
marked, "  O  death,  where  is  thy  sting!  O  grave, 
where  is  thy  victory ! "  He  immediately  re- 
sponded, "  Thanks  be  to  God,  who  giveth  us  the 
victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ !  "  O  how 
precious  the  sweet  promises  of  the  Bible  were 
to  him  during  those  dying  hours !  "  O  how 
good!  how  sweet!"  were  his  exclamations. 
To  his  weeping  companion,  who  sat  at  his  bed- 
side, he  said,  "  You'll  meet  me  in  heaven,  wont 
you,  dear  ? "  and  appeared  pleased  with  the  an- 
swer, "  I  shall  make  it  the  business  of  my  life." 
Shortly  after  we  knelt  around  his  couch,  and' 
while  Brother  Green  led  us  in  humble,  fervent 
prayer  at  the  mercy-seat,  he  responded  heartily 
to  every  petition.  We  then  sang  that  beautiful 
hymn,  "  I  would  not  live  alway,"  etc. ;  and 
while  singing  the  chorus,  "  Home,  home,  sweet, 
sweet  home,"  his  whole  soul  seemed  on  the 
stretch  for  heaven.  As  we  concluded  he  threw 
up  his  clay-cold  arms  above  him,  and  with  all 
his  strength  exclaimed,  "  Glory !  glory  ! "  He 
sank  into  a  peaceful  slumber,  and  all  present 
could  trace  a  sweet  smile  playing  :ipon  his  coun- 
tenance. In  a  few  moments  he  aast  his  eyes 
heavenward,  and  with  the  most  intense  gaze 
continued  to  look  upward.  At  length  he  said 
audibly,  "  I  see  light  ahead."  When  speech, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  .  103 

• 

failed,  as  evidence  that  Christ  was  precious,  he 
pressed  Brother  Green's  hand.  A  few  long 
breaths,  and  amid  the  tears  and  prayers  of  sur- 
rounding friends  our  dear  Pastor  "languished 
into  life,"  and  was  "  safe  at  home."  "  Let 
me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my 
last  end  be  like  his."  All  who  were  privileged 
to  witness  this  dying  scene  learned  to  prize 
more  highly  the  religion  they  profess ;  and  all 
felt  that  it  is  alone  at  the  bedside  of  the  dying 
saint  we  can  fully  estimate  the  real  value  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 


BRADLEY  L.  BURR 

Bradley  L.  Burr  was  born  in  Liberty,  Sullivan 
County,  N.  Y.,  December  30,  1817,  and  died  at 
Leeds,  Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  November  16, 
1858,  aged  forty.  He  was  born  of  religious 
parents,  both  of  whom  survive  him. 

In  youth  he  was  impressed  with  the  uncer- 
tainty of  life,  and  the  necessity  of  a  preparation 
for  eternity  by  the  accidental  drowning  of  an 
elder  brother. 

In  1838  he  was  married  to  MissE.  Buckley.  In 
1839,  in  a  protracted  meeting  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  he  was  converted  to  God. 
His  conversion  was  cigar  and  satisfactory,  and 
at  once  he  began  to  exercise  in  prayer  and  ex- 


104  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

liortation.  He  soon  felt  called  to  labor  for  souls, 
but  meeting  with  some  discouragement  his  zeal 
abated,  and  love  grew  cold.  In  1843,  at  the 
commencement  of  a  gracious  revival,  he  was 
among  the  first  to  acknowledge  his  apostasy, 
and  seek  mercy.  His  backslidings  were  healed, 
and  the  candle  of  the  Lord  again  shone  on  liis 
pathway.  He  often  remarked,  "  I  will  now  do 
iny  duty,  and  I  believe  Providence  will  open 
my  way." 

His  course  was  onward  and  upward.  Being 
gifted  in  singing,  prayer,  and  exhortation,  he 
was  very  useful  to  the  converts  of  that  revival. 

He  was  licensed  to  exhort,  and  God  blessed 
his  labors.  Souls  were  awakened  and  converted. 
In  places  where  the  itinerant  had  not  gone  he 
went.  At  one  appointment  the  revival  that 
took  place  was  the  entering  wedge  of  Methodism 
in  that  locality.  In  1847  he  was  licensed  to 
preach.  Soon  after  this  he  removed  to  Dela- 
ware County,  and  while  working  at  his  trade 
through  the  week,  preached  Christ  on  the  Sab- 
bath. He  was  employed  by  the  Presiding  Elder 
about  eighteen  months  on  the  Cochecton  Cir- 
cuit, and  also  one  year  at  Colchester.  In  1851 
he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  New  York  An- 
nual Conference,  and  ordained  a  Local  Deacon. 
He  was  stationed  successively  at  Colchester, 
Delhi,  Middletown,  Norih  Blenheim,  and  Leeds. 
He  was  ordained  Elder  in  1855  by  Bishop  Ames. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  105 

At  Leeds  he  closed  the  toils  of  earth,  and  ceased 
to  work  and  live.  In  September,  1858,  he  spent 
some  weeks  in  visiting  relatives  that  he  had  not 
seen  for  some  years.  On  his  return  to  the  cir- 
cuit he  commenced  a  series  of  meetings  at  Sandy 
Plains.  For  six  weeks  he  labored  ardently  for 
the  salvation  of  sinners.  Success  crowned  his 
efforts ;  several  were  converted,  and  numbers 
were  awakened.  He  was  arrested  by  disease, 
and  obliged  to  abandon  his  work.  His  friends 
supposed  he  had  only  an  ordinary  cold,  and 
would  soon  be  better.  "  But,"  said  he,  "  this 
is  my  last  sickness ;  I  shall  never  be  any  bet- 
ter. I  should  like  to  live  for  the  good  of  my 
family,  and  to  do  good ;  but  I  am  all  ready 
to  go." 

In  a  few  days  his  disease  assumed  a  danger- 
ous type,  and  he  was  delirious.  In  this  state 
he  remained  until  released  from  suffering.  He 
was  singing,  praying,  and  preaching  most  of 
the  time.  On  the  morning  of  his  death  he 
sang,  prayed,  preached,  etc.,  and  for  the  last 
time  said  amen,  closed  his  eyes,  fell  asleep,  and 
passed  away.  "  God  buries  his  workmen,  but 
carries  on  his  work." 

His  educational  advantages  were  limited,  but 
possessing  naturally  a  good  mind,  and  being  an 
indefatigable  laborer,  he  was  acceptable  and 
very  useful.  He  was  emphatically  a  revivalist. 
Every  ye,ar  more  or  less  were  converted,  and  on 


106  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

some  of  his  charges  large  additions  were  made 
to  the  Church. 

Death  to  him  is  gain  ;  but  the  Church  has  lost 
one  of  her  most  faithful  ministers. 


JAMES  RUSK. 

James  Husk,  though  born  in  Ireland,  was  the 
son  of  Scottish  parents,  who  brought  him  up 
under  the  severe  discipline  of  Scotch  Protestant- 
ism. The  neighborhood  in  which  the  family 
resided  consisted  mainly  of  Catholics,  hence 
Brother  Rusk  was  accustomed  from  his  child- 
hood "  to  contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints ;"  nor  was  "  the  two- 
edged  sword  "  with  which  he  commenced  the 
"  tight  of  faith  "  ever  sheathed  or  permitted  to 
rest. 

He  was  early  converted  to  God  in,  a  Method- 
ist meeting  held  in  his  father's  house.  By  the 
rumored  threats  of  the  Papists  he  and  his  father 
were  frequently  driven  to  secrete  themselves  in 
corn-fields  and  elsewhere  until  the  storm  of 
priestly  intolerance  had  spent  itself. 

In  the  school,  at  neighborhood  gatherings, 
every-where,  our  brother  beloved  was  denounced 
as  "a  contemptible  heretic,  and  spurned  from 
society.  Who  can  wonder  that  James  Rusk— 
the  synonym  of  all  that  is  liberal,  generous,  and 


SACKED  MEMOEIES.  107 

good — should  leave  his  native  land  the  very  day 
that  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  in  pursuit 
of  a  spot  where  he  could  worship  God  according 
to  the  dictates  of  an  enlightened  conscience  ? 
Who  can  wonder  at  his  repeated,  loud,  earnest 
shouts  of  thanksgiving  and  praise  in  recognition 
of  this  civil  and  religious  boon  ?  He  was  li- 
censed to  exhort  at  Pleasantville,  and  having 
subsequently  become  a  teacher  in  the  Irving 
Institute,  at  Tarrytown,  he  received  license  to 
preach,  and  was  recommended  to  travel  from 
that  Quarterly  Conference. 

He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  New  York 
Annual  Conference  of  1851,  and  sent  to  Cort- 
landt,  Croton,  and  West  Point  successively. 
Neither  place  was  willing  to  part  with  him 
till  his  "two  years"  had  expired,  which  speaks 
well  both  of  his  acceptability  and  usefulness. 
His  pulpit  efforts  were  characterized  by  great 
earnestness,  by  originality  of  thought,  and  terse- 
ress  of  style  ;  the  general  cast  of  his  sermons 
were  argumentative,  but  his  closing  appeals 
were  aimed  at  the  heart,  and  often  overwhelm- 
ingly effective. 

He  had  a  terrible  dislike  to  Church  innova- 
tions. "  Let  Methodism  alone,"  he  would  often 
eay,  "  and  it  will  conquer  the  world."  At  the 
Conference  of  1857  he  received  a  supernumerary 
relation,  and  was  attached  to  the  Cold  Spring 
charge.  Here  he  resided  and  suffered  up  to  the 


108  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

hour  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  tht  fourth 
of  April,  1859.  He  died  as  he  had  lived,  "  not 
only  perfectly  resigned,"  says  his  Pastor,  (the 
Rev.  B.  Griffin,)  "  but  desiring  to  depart,  and 
be  with  Christ." 


JONATHAN  N.   KOBINSON. 

Jonathan  N.  Robinson  was  born  in  Suffolk 
County,  L.  I.,  September  27,  1816.  He  was 
blessed  with  pious  parents  ;  but  at  the  early  age 
of  nine  years  was  bereft  of  a  mother's  care. 
His  father  was  a  Deacon  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  a  rigid  Calvinist.  To  this  last- 
named  fact  is  to  be  attributed  much  of  the  son's 
perplexity  and  seeming  indecision  on  the  subject 
of  religion  for  the  first  half  of  his  life. 

About  the  time  of  his  mother's  death  he  was 
brought  to  feel  his  need  of  a  Saviour,  sought 
mercy  at  his  hands,  and  obtained  a  measure  of 
peace  ;  but,  for  want  of  encouragement,  soon  re- 
lapsed into  indifference  and  wickedness.  From 
this  time  until  his  twenty-first  year  he  was  vari- 
ously, and  at  times  painfully,  exercised  with 
reference  to  the  all-important  .subject  of  salva- 
tion. He  now  began  to  attend  Methodist  prayer- 
meetings,  and  went  to  a  class-meeting.  These 
means  were  blessed  of  God  to  his  escape  from 
thraldom,  and  he  emerged  from  a  state  of  bond- 
age into  the  light  and  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  109 

Impressed  with  a  sense  of  duty,  in  the  midst  of 
opposition  and  reproach,  he  decided  that  "  this 
people  shall  be  my  people,"  and  Joined  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  on  probation,  April  10, 
1838.  Now  his  soul  prospered,  soon  his  friends 
ceased  to  oppose,  and  he  moved  smoothly  along 
in  the  way  to  heaven.  About  a  year  from  this 
time  he  became  interested  deeply  in  the  doctrine 
of  entire  sanctification,  and  in  the  month  of 
September  following  (while  on  his  way  home 
from  the  Jamesport  camp-meeting)  professed  to 
experience  this  further  manifestation  of  Divine 
power  and  grace,  in  being  cleansed  from  all  un- 
righteousness. His  own  language  upon  this 
point  is,  "  The  Lord  overpowered  me  with  his 
presence.  God  was  every-where  and  in  every 
thing,  and  with  indescribable  peace  filled  my 
whole  soul."  A  short  time  after  this,  while  en- 
gaged in  prayer  in  a  grove,  Brother  Robinson 
was  suddenly  impressed  with  his  duty  to  preach 
the  everlasting  Gospel  to  the  perishing  sons  of 
men.  This  was  a  duty  of  no  ordinary  kind,  and 
not  until  a  long  struggle  had  been  gone  through 
with,  and  repeated  and*  prayerful  examinations 
of  his  convictions  made,  could  he  consent  to 
make  known  this  impression  even  to  his  most 
intimate  friends.  When  he  did  so,  he  received 
unexpected  encouragement,  and  was  strongly 
urged  to  go  directly  forward  in  this  great  work. 
He  was  first  licensed  to  exhort,  and  then,  a  few 


110  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

days  afterward,  licensed  to  preach,  March  14, 
1840.  He  was  recommended  to  travel  by  the 
same  Quarterly  'Conference  that  licensed  him  to 
preach,  and  urged  to  enter  the  itinerant  ranks 
at  once  ;  but  wben  the  Annual  Conference  held 
its  session  his  own  better  judgment  prevailed, 
and  he  concluded  to  take  one  year  more  for 
study.  In  the  month  of  May,  1841,  he  was  re- 
ceived on  trVal  in  the  New  York  Conference,  and 
appointed,  writh  Z.  Davenport,  to  the  New  Mil- 
ford  Circuit.  His  health  proved  insufficient  for 
the  work  at  that  time,  and  he  retired  again  into 
the  local  ranks  until  the  summer  of  1844.  He 
was  then  again  received  on  trial  by  the  New 
York  Conference,  and  (having  been  a  Local 
Preacher  for  four  years)  elected  to  Deacon's 
orders,  and  ordained  by  Bishop  Janes  on  the 
16th  day  of  June.  He  was  appointed  this  year 
to  Belle  Port  and  Fireplace,  and  before  -the  year 
closed  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  L.  T.  Halsey. 
His  subsequent  appointments  were  Hunting- 
ton  South,  Farmingdale,  and  Smithtown  Cir- 
cuits, on  L.  I. ;  Spencertown,  Norfolk,"  and 
North  East  charges,  on  the  Khinebeck  District. 
This  last  named  appointment  was  perhaps  his 
most  agreeable  field  of  labor,  and  here  he  had 
marked  success.  His  name  and  memory  will 
ever  be  held  dear  by  those  among  whom  he 
labored  during  the  conference  years  1851-52. 
In  the  spring  of  1853  he  was  sent  to  Ellen ville, 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  Ill 

Monticello  District.  This  charge  was  too  heavy 
for  his  state  of  health,  and  the  following  Febru- 
ary he  was  attacked  with  hemorrhage  of  the 
lungs;  nevertheless  he  was  returned  the  next 
year,  and  in  July,  1854,  the  bleeding  came  on 
again,  and  he  entirely  broke  down.  " 

Brother  Robinson's  early  advantages  were 
quite  limited,  and  he  never  claimed  to  be  a 
scholar;  but  his  piety  was  undoubted,  and  his 
preaching  being  earnest  and  eminently  practi- 
cal, he  had  many  seals  to  his  ministry.  He  was 
a  good  Pastor,  and  looked  well  after  all  the  in- 
terests of  the  Church.  He  was  a  kind  and  con- 
siderate husband,  and  a  tender  father.  His 
marriage  union  was  blessed  with  but  a  single 
son.  *This  son  had  become  a  most  interesting 
youth  at  the  time  of  his  father's  failure  in  health, 
and  how  he  should  be  provided  for  in  life  was 
the  great  anxiety  of  his  fond  parents ;  but,  in 
the  providence  of  God,  he  was  suddenly  re- 
moved from  this  troublesome  world  by  "  acci- 
dental drowning,"  and  we  humbly  trust  safely 
housed  in  heaven. 

At  the  Conference  of  1855  Brother  Robinson 
was  granted  a  superannuated  relation,  which 
relation  he  sustained  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
His  attacks  of  hemorrhage  were  frequent,  and 
at  different  times  very  prostrating ;  but  he  con- 
tinued to  get  about  occasionally  until  the  last 
year  of  his  life.  He  was  at  the  session  of  Con- 


112  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

ference  for  the  last  time  in  Poughkeepsie,  June 
1856.  During  the  last  few  months  of  life  his 
bodily  sufferings  were  very  great,  and  he  often 
longed  to  be  free;  but  he  complained  not,  and 
his  soul  was  ever  happy  in  God  his  Saviour. 
Not  only  did  consumption  prey  upon  his  lungs, 
but  he  was  assailed  by  cancer  in  the  tongue  and 
throat.  Among  the  last  entries  made  in  his 
diary  are  these :  "  I  believe  in  God,  righteous 
and  true.  I  love  him.  He  is  my  God.  My 
weeks  are  passing  painfully  and  slowly,  yet  I 
am  often  very  happy  in  God.  I  have  had  a 
day  of  much  suffering.  O  when  will  it  end ! 
Thanks  to  God,  it  is  not  of  the  mind,  but  body. 
I  am  a  poor  sufferer,  looking  to  heaven  for  rest." 

In  a  letter  to  the  writer  he  said,  "  I  am1  like 
a  caged  bird,  fluttering  and  panting  for  liberty. 
O  how  I  shall  rejoice  when  the  closing  moments 
come,  (if  sensible  then  ! ")  In  the  same  letter 
he  said,  "  My  God  is  my  Rock  and  my  salva- 
tion. I  cannot  sink,  or  really  complain,  while 
graciously  supported,  comforted,  and  blessed  by 
him."  About  a  month  later  he  wrote,  "  God  is 
my  great  support.  I  feel  happy  in  him  now. 
O  I  should  sink  if  he  should  leave  me  for  a  day ! 
but  he  is  with  me  both  day  and  night,  and  I  be- 
lieve I  am  almost  home." 

For  some  days  before  his  death  he  could  not 
converse,  but,  says  one  who  ever  watched  over 
him,  "I  know  he  suffered  patiently,  and  was 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  113 

happy  in  God."  About  five  minutes  before  his 
spirit  took  its  flight  he  twice  tried  to  say  halle- 
luiah, but  his  mortal  tongue  had  become  useless, 
and  God  signed  his  release,. and  took  him  to  his 
desired  home  on  the  evening  of  Xovember  6, 
1858,  aged  forty-two  years.  "Blessed  are  the 
dead  which  die  in  the  Lord ;  that  they  may  rest 
from  their  labors;  and  their  works  do  follow 
them." 


DAVIS  STOCKING. 

Davis  Stocking  was  born  in  Haddam,  Conn., 
September  10,  1810,  and  died  in  Sing  Sing, 
December  11, 1858.  His  parents  were  both  ex- 
emplary members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  before  his  birth.  His  father  died  in 
1848,  triumphing  in  the  love  of  Christ. 

Early  religious  instruction,  thus  secured  to 
our  brother,  was  not  lost  on  him.  He  was  the 
conscious  subject  of  Divine  impressions  even  in 
his  childhood,  and  when  a  youth  of  seventeen, 
he  earnestly  sought  and  obtained  of  his  heav- 
enly Father  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins.  His 
rnind  was  soon  exercised  on  the  subject  of 
preaching.  He  felt  a  strong  persuasion  that  it 
was  his  duty  to  give  himself  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry;  but  a  sense  of  his  unworthiness, 
scanty  literary  attainments,  and  natural  timidity, 
cawsed  him  to  shrink  from  the  high  and  respon- 


' 


114:  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

sible  trust.  But  the  great  Head  of  the  Church, 
who  had  called  him,  did  not  allow  him  to  shake 
off  his  convictions  of  duty.  They  gathered  in- 
creasing strength,  until  he  dared  no  longer  re- 
sist them. 

Accordingly,  in  April,  1830,  he  was  licensed 
to  preach,  and  in  May  following  was  received 
on  probation  in  the  JSTew  York  Conference,  of 
which  he  continued  a  member  until  his  death. 
His  active  service  in  the  ministry  covers  a 
period  of  twenty-seven  years.  The  honorable 
position  he  occupied  among  his  brethren,  his 
extensive  usefulness,  and  the  high  esteem  in 
which  he  was  held,  warrant  a  more  extended 
and  discriminating  notice  of  his  life  and  labors 
than  can  be  given  in  a  brief  and  hastily  written 
memoir.  He  possessed  qualities  of  head  and 
heart  which,  without  brilliant*  mental  endow- 
ments or  high  intellectual  culture,  made  him  a 
really  strong,  effective,  and  admirable  man. 
Good  robust  sense  was  manifested  in  all  his 
utterances,  and  in  all  his  movements.  His 
character  combined  practical  wisdom,  sound 
judgment,  and  quick  decision,  with  unusual  self- 
possession  and  untiring  energy.  Mild  and  ami- 
able in  his  manners,  courteous  and  unobtrusive, 
generous  and  kind,  he  was  every-where  respect- 
ed, confided  in,  and  loved.  But  the  crowning 
excellence  of  the  man  was  his  unmistakable 
piety.  Whether  in  the  pulpit,  in  the  social 


SACREIV  MEMORIES.  115 

circle,  in  his  family,  or  in  the  market-place — 
everj-where  he  gave  evidence  that  he  had  been 
with  Jesus  and  learned  of  him. 

Few  purer  or  more  "harmless  and  blameless" 
men  have  ever  lived.  His  purity,  too,  was 
generally,  perhaps  universally,  acknowledged. 
No  aspersions,  it  is  believed,  were  ever  cast  upon 
his  honor  as  a  man,  his  sincerity  as  a  Christian, 
his  faithfulness  as  a  minister.  He  was  appointed 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Hudson 
in  May,  1856,  and  entered  upon  his  duties  with 
his  usual  energy  and  success.  In  April,  185T, 
lie  was  suddenly  arrested  in  his  career,  and 
smitten  down  with  pleurisy  of  the  lungs.  The 
severity  of  the  attack  abated  in  a  few  weeks, 
and  he  hoped  to  recover  his  health  and  resume 
his  labors;  but,  in  the  mysterious  providence 
of  God,  this  was  not  permitted. 

The  remaining  year  and  a  half  of  his  earthly 
pilgrimage,  with  a  shattered  constitution,  he 
was  chiefly  confined  to  his  home,  and  much  of 
the  tim§  to  his  bed,  the  subject  of  intense  physi- 
cal suffering.  Unable  to  preach,  or  give  any  at- 
tention to  his  public  duties,  and  longing  for  rest 
and  retirement,  as  affording  the  only  hope  of 
recovery,  he  removed  to  the  village  of  Sing 
Sing.  Hqre,  among  warm  and  generous  friends, 
he  was  made  as  comfortable  as  his  increasingly 
wretched  bodily  condition  would  permit. 

His    disease    became    seriously   complicated, 


116  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

and  baffled  the  skill  of  his  medical  attendants. 
What  was  for  a  long  time  supposed  to  be  an 
aggravated  form  of  neuralgia  attacked  his  limbs, 
and  gradually  wasted  his  strength.  Subse- 
quent developments,  however,  showed  even 
more  frightful  agencies  than  this  at  work.  For 
months  the  head  and  socket  of  the  right  hip 
were  in  process  of  actual  decay,  and  at  his  death 
only  the  debris  of  the  bone  remained.  This 
fact  accounted  satisfactorily  for  the  excruciating 
tortures  suffered  by  him.  ISTeither  sleep  nor 
ease  could  be  obtained  except  by  the  use  of 
powerful  anod}7nes,  and  in  some  instances,  de- 
spite of  these,  his  agony  continued  unabated  for 
days  and  nights  in  succession.  This  sad  picture 
has,  however,  gracious  relief.  While  the  hearts 
of  all  who  visited  him  were  moved  with  pity  in 
view  of  his  sufferings,  they  were  equally  moved 
with  wonder  at  his  patient  composure  of  mind, 
and  were  led  to  adore  our  heavenly  Father  for 
the  grace  afforded  his  servant  in  this  extremity. 
]S~ot  a  murmur  or  complaint  escaped  hjs  lips. 
Expressions  of  thankfulness  and  submission 
'mingled  ever  with  his  groans.  The  smile  and 
welcome  with  which  he  was  wont  to  greet  his 

O 

friends  when  in  health  continued  with  him  to 
the  end.  Just  before  he  ceased  to  articulate  he 
tried  to  repeat  the  verse  commencing,  "  Courage, 
my  soul,  on  God  rely ;"  but  utterance  failed  be- 
fore he  completed  it,  and  he  quietly  fell  asleep. 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  117 

GEORGE  KERR. 

George  Kerr  was  born  in  Ireland  in  the  year 
1819.  His  parents  emigrated  to  Canada  in 
1822,  when  he  was  in  his  fourth  year.  From 
childhood  he  was  the  suo^ct  of  strong  religious 
impressions,  and  when  a  class  was  formed  in  the 
neighborhood  he  was  often  taken  by  his  parents 
to  class-meeting,  where  his  religious  impressions 
were  greatly  strengthened,  and  his  purposes  to 
be  a  Christian  were  often  renewed. 

At  the  age  of  -seventeen  he  was  sent  upon 
some  business  by  his  father  to  the  city  of  Mon- 
treal. There  was  at  that  time  a  revival  meeting 
progressing  in  that  city  under  the  labors  of  the 
Rev.  James  Canghey.  He  went  to  the  meeting. 
This  was  with  him  an  hour  of  the  deepest  con- 
cern. It  seemed  as  though  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  had  conducted  him  almost  to  the  altar  of 
prayer.  Under  a  deep  sense  of  sin  he  went 
forward,  and,  after  a  hard  struggle  in  humble 
and  earnest  prayer,  he  was  enabled  to  rejoice  in 
a  sweet  and  happy  sense  of  sins  forgiven.  He 
returned  home  a  new  creature,  and  soon  became 
an  accession  to  the  prayer-meetings  at  home 
and  in  the  neighborhoods  around,  and  often 
exhorted  the  people  to  seek  the  Lord.  It  was 
in  the  discharge  of  these  important  duties  that 
he  became  convinced  that  God  had  called  him 
to  preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 


118  SACRED  MEMORILS. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  came  to  the 
United  States.  His  course  was  directed  to 
Winsted,  Conn.,  where,  after  a  short  time,  he 
received  a  Local  Preacher's  license.  The  next 
year  he  was  emplo^d  by  the  late  Rev.  Bar- 
tholomew Creagh  to  labor  on  the  Berlin  Charge, 
which  had  been  left  to  be  supplied.  His  labors 
here  were  so  entirely  satisfactory  that  he  was 
unanimously  recommended,  by  the  Quarterly 
Conference  to  be  received  on  trial  at  the  next 
session  of  the  ISTew  York  Conference,  in  the 
spring  of  1844. 

As  a  preacher  he  was  interesting,  and  often 
eloquent.  Many  of  his  sermons  were  carefully 
prepared,  and  delivered  with  great  effect ;  and, 
doubtless,  had  his  health  been  spared  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death  he  would  have  taken  that 
higher  rank  in  the  Conference  which  his  abili- 
ties as  a  minister  must  have  won  for  him.  But 
God  had  ordered  otherwise.  "When  the  bright 
sun  of  his  intellectual  and  elocutionary  powers 
was  about  to  ascend  to  its  meridian,  a  thick 
darkness  of  physical  disease  settled  over  him. 
How  mysterious  are  the  ways  of  our  God,  and 
how  often  are  the  truths  of  his  word  illustrated  ! 
"  Clouds  and  darkness  are  round  about  him  ; 
righteousness  and  judgment  are  the  habitation 
of  his  throne." 

During  the  last  three  years  of  his  life  he  re- 
sided in  the  city  of  Hudson,  K  Y.,  a  superan- 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  119 

nuated  member  of  this  Conference.  Here  be 
was  much  esteemed,  not  ojily  by  the  mem- 
bers of  his  ow»  Church,  but  by  the  ministers 
and  members  of  the  other  evangelical  Churches 
of  the  city.  4 

In  the  month  of  June  last,  thinking  a  change 
of  air  might  be  of  some  service  to  him,  and  wish- 
ing once  more  to  see  his  aged  mother  and  other 
friends,  he  visited  the  home  of  his  childhood, 
But,  alas  !  the  progress  of  his  disease  was  not 
to  be  arrested,  nor  even  impeded,  for  a  single 
day.  But  God  was  with  him.  A  good  Wes- 
leyan  minister,  who  frequently  visited  him  dur- 
ing the  last  few  weeks  of  his  life,  writes  : 

"About  a  week  before  he  died  I  inquired 
how  his  mind  was  sustained.  He  answered,  '  I 
rest  on  Christ ;  yes,  I  rest,  precious  Saviour,  on 
thee.  I  know  thou  valt  receive  me,  a  sinner 
saved  by  grace.'  Frequently  he  would  say  to- 
his  weeping  wife,  'I  am  almost  home.'  The 
last  Sabbath  of  his  life,  sitting  in  a  chair,  he 
requested  to  have  the  door  opened  that  he 
might  look  out  once  more  into  the  open  air  and 
view  the  beauty  of  the  landscape,  quietly  re- 
marking, '  This  is  my  last  Sabbath  on  earth. 
By  next  Sunday  I  shall  probably  be  in  the  land 
of  rest.'  On  the  Thursday  preceding  Septem- 
ber 8  he  felt  indeed  that  the  final  hour  had 
come.  In  the  morning,  being  bolstered  up,  and 
much  exhausted,  he  said,  about  two  hours  before 


120  SACRED  MEMORIES.. 

he  died,  'I  will  lay  me  down,  probably  to  rise 
no  more  till  the  resurrection  morn  ;  but  before 
I  do  so,  I  wish  to*id  you  all  a  timely  farewell.' 
After  taking  leave  of  his  other  friends,  he  kissed 
his  little  son,  an  only  child,  and*  breathed  a 
dying  parent's  prayer ;  and  then,  summoning 
all  his  remaining  strength,  he  fondly  clung  to 
the  neck  of  his.  beloved  wife  for  a  moment,  sank 
back  upon  his  pillow,  and  soon  was  gone."  Thus 
died  our  excellent  Brother  Kerr,  in  the  fortieth 
year  of  his  age. 


WILLIAM   JAY  FOSS. 

William  Jay  Foss  was  born  in  Verbank, 
Duchess  County,  X.  Y.,  November  23,  1835. 
He  was  the  fourth  son  of  the  late  Rev.  Cyrus 
Foss,  well  known  for  many  years  as  a  gifted, 
earnest,  and  successful  minister  of  our  Church. 
"Very  few  commenced  life  with  so  decided  and 
varied  advantages  as  did  our  departed  brother. 
It  is  also  certain  that  very  few  so  wisely  improve 
the  personal  gifts  and  privileges  with  which 
their  heavenly  Father  has  endowed  them.  He 
inherited  a  superior  intellect,  at  once  strong, 
active,  and  symmetrical,  with  an  emotional  na- 
ture, warm,  generous,  and  delicate,  and  a  quick, 
controlling  moral  sense.  Thus  furnished,  he 
was  ushered  into  a  home  circle  where  the 
graces  of  religious  and  social  life  had  long  been 


* 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  121 

cultivated,  and  where  judicious  parental  con- 
trol was  undisputed.  As  the  legitimate  results 
of  these  favoring  circumstances,  his  earliest,  as 
his  latest  developments  of  character  were  lovely 
and  harmonious.  During  his  childhood  and 
youth  he  was  unusually  pure,  amiable,  and  ex- 
emplary. He  honored  his  parents,  rendering 
them  unquestioning  obedience,  and  evincing  an 
early  and  remarkably  just  appreciation  of  their 
mutual  relations.  He  was  never  wild  nor  in- 
tractable, consequently  his  walk  was  moral,  and 
never  contracted  vicious  habits  of  any  kind.  In 
February,  1852,  when  about  sixteen  years  of 
age,  and  while  a  student  in  Amenia  Seminary, 
he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  on 
probation.  He  wTas  induced  to  this  course  by  an 
earnest  desire  to  be  a  Christian.  He  com- 
menced a  regular  attendance  on  the  means  of 
grace,  public  and  private,  but  did  not  feel  as- 
sured of  his  acceptance  with  God. 

In  September,  1852,  having  completed  his 
preparation,  he  entered  the  Freshman  class  of 
the  Wesleyan  University.  Soon  after  he  was 
received  into  full  connection  in  the  Church.  He 
however,  states,  "  For  the  first  three  years  of 
my  college  course  my  religious  experience  was 
very  unsatisfactory.'1  While  he  tried  to  serve 
God,  and  did  observe  an  outward  conform- 
ity to  his  law,  a  sense  of  inward  corruption 
caused  him  constant  uneasiness  of  mind. 


122  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

In  October,  1855,  while  in  his  senior  year, 
his  health  failed,  and  he  was  obliged  tempo- 
rarily to  leave  college.  While  at  home  he  at- 
tended a  protracted  meeting,  and  often  exercised 
in  public.  In  doing  this  he  was  encouraged 
and  comforted,  and  made  evident  advancement 
in  religion. 

About  this  time  he  was  led  to  investigate  the 
subject  of  "holiness."  He  read,  among  other 
works  on  the  subject,  "  Faith  and  its  Effects,"  by 
Mrs.  Palmer.  He  says,  "  Its  thrilling  pages 
stirred  my  soul."  When  I  prayed  I  could  ask 
for  no  less  blessing  than  entire  sanctification. 
After  severe  struggling  with  doubts  and  temp- 
tations, earnest  prayer,  the  most  careful  study  of 
the  Bible  of  which  he  was  capable,  solemn  cove- 
nant upon  his  knees  to  obtain  the  blessing  if  he 
was  obliged  to  seek  until  he  died,  and  a  resolu- 
tion to  follow  the  teachings  of  the  Spirit  when- 
ever, and  wherever,  and  however  it  should  lead 
him,  he  says,  "  I  felt  I  was  near  the  promised 
land.  It  was  but  a  few  hours  after  I  made  this 
firm,  unswerving  resolution,  that  when  praying 
in  my  chamber  alone,  on  the  15th  of  December, 
1855,  about  half  past  six  in  the  evening,  i«  the 
consciousness  of  my  full  consecration,  and  in  the 
application  of  the  words, '  Now  is  the  accepted 
time,'  faith  suddenly  sprung  up  in  my  heart ; 
Christ,  who  before  had  seemed  far  off,  now  ap- 
peared nigh ;  something  spake  to  me  in  sweet  and 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  123 

distinct  tones, '  It  is  yours  it  is,  yours.'  '  Hold,' 
cried  Satan,  '  don't  deceive  yourself.'  '  It  is 
yours,'  still  louder  said  the  Spirit.  I  could  no 
longer  doubt." 

In  September,  1857,  only  one  year  after  his 
graduation,  he  was  engaged  as  a  tutor  in  the 
"Wesley an  University,  and  was  also  appointed 
to  the  charge  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  Portland,  Conn.  He  joined  the  New  York 
Conference  at  its  session  in  May,  1858,  and  was 
appointed  to  Lake  Mahopac,  where  he  enjoyed 
another  year  of  prosperity.  His  appointment 
to  Cannon-street,  Poughkeepsie,  fully  evinced 
the  confidence  felt  in  his  talents,  piety,  and 
sound  judgment  by  the  Bishop  and  cabinet. 
Nor  was  this  confidence  misplaced.  Those  who 
knew  him  had  no  misgivings  as  to  the  result. 
He  felt  an  inward  shrinking  from  the  position, 
but,  with  usual  serenity  of  mind  and  composure 
of  manner,  he  appeared  in  the  pulpit  the  next 
Sabbath,  May  15,  and  preached  morning  and 
evening.  He  enjoyed  his  usual  liberty  and 
comfort,  and  the  people  were  most  favorably 
impressed.  They  left  the  sanctuary  congratu- 
latin^eaeh  other,  and  thanking  God  that,  al- 
though a  pastor  to  whom  they  were  \varmly 
attached  had  been  removed,  another  had  been 
sent  whose  opening  labors  gave  promise  of  ex- 
tensive usefulness.  They  little  thought  how 
great  trials  were  in  store  for  them,  and  he  little 


124:  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

thought  that  his  work  among  them  would  begin 
and  end  on  the  same  day.  He  went  home  with 
J.  P.  H.  Talman,  Esq.,  after  evening  preaching, 
and  retired  early  to  his  room.  During  the 
night  he  suffered  severely  from  pain  in  his  chest, 
but  refrained  from  making  it  known  at  the 
time.  In  the  morning,  when  the  family  were 
summoned  to  breakfast,  Brother  Foss  was  ab- 
sent, and  going  to  his  room,  Brother  Talman,  to 
his  surprise,  found  him  too  ill  to  leave  his  bed. 
A  physician  was  immediately  called,  who  dis- 
covered in  his  patient  symptoms  of  pneumonia 
in  its  most  aggravated  form.  All  the  appli- 
ances which  skill  or  kindness  could  suggest 

c5O 

were  speedily  made,  and  the  disease  seemed 
temporarily  to  yield  its  deathly  grasp.  But  a 
sudden  and  fatal  change  occurred  from  some 
unknown  cause,  and  all  present  were  convinced 
that  his  death  was  near. 

The  suffering  of  Brother  Foss  was  so  great 
during  most  of  his  illness  as  to  prevent  conver- 
sation with  him.  He  was,  however,  fully  ap- 
prised of  his  danger,  and  did  not,  after  the  first 
week,  expect  restoration  to  health.  Death, 
however,  had  no  terrors  for  him,  and  life  had 
but  a  slight  hold  on  his  affections.  He  seemed 
often  entirely  abstracted  from  sublunary  scenes, 
and  when  he  spoke  his  words  seemed  more  like 
those  of  a  seraph  than  a  man.  He  uttered  a 
few  connected  and  impressive  sentences  which 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  125 

will  best  indicate  his  feelings.  To  his  kind  hostt 
who  watched  his  symptoms  with  almost  paternal 
care,  he  said,  two  or  three  days  before  his  death, 
"My  mind  has  been  busy  with  the  material  as- 
pects of  my  case,  whether  I  was  getting  better 
or  worse,  and  whether  my  pains  could  be  re- 
lieved; but,"  he  added  earnestly,  gazing  and 
pointing  upward,  "I  am  raised  above  all  that 
now;  my  thoughts  are  yonder!"  His  eldest 
brother  approached  his  bed  a  few  hours  prior  to 
his  death  and  asked,  "  "Willie,  do  you  desire  to 
live?"  He  replied,  "I  should  like  to  live  for 
mother's  sake,  and  to  be  a  more  faithful  minister; 
but  I  am  not  anxious.  Some  think  it  strange 
that  young  ministers  are  taken  away,  but  I  do 
not.  God  can  spare  me.  It  is  hard  for  this 
Church  to  lose  its  pastor,  but  God  will  send 
them  another." 


THOMAS  DA  VIES. 

Thomas  Davies  died  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
June  7,  1859.  He  was  born  nqy  the  town  of 
Shrewsbury,  England,  in  the  year  1821,  and 
educated  in  the  bosom  of  the  Wesley  an  Church. 
He  immigrated  to  this  country  with  his  family 
in  1849,  and  soon  after  was  converted  and  joined 
the  Bedford-street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
in  this  city.  He  commenced  at  once  to  labor 
as  a  Sunday-school  teacher,  and  soon  after  was 


126  S ACHED  MEMORIES. 

appointed  leader  of  a  class,  which  duties  hi.  dis- 
charged with  great  fidelity  and  success.  In  due 
time  he  was  licensed  to  exhort,  and  in  1856  to 
preach  as  a  Local  Preacher.  Under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Presiding  Elder  he  took  charge  of 
the  Societies  at  Carmansville  and  Manhattan- 
ville,  and  the  year  following  of  King's  Bridge 
and  Fordham.  In  all  these  places  his  labors 
were  highly  acceptable  and  useful,  and  in  the 
latter  place  he  succeeded  in  building  a  neat  and 
commodious  church.  But  the  labors  of  these 
charges,  together  with  his  own  private  business, 
were  more  than  his  constitution  could  bear,  and 
probably  laid  the  foundation  of  his  early  death. 
Feeling  that  God  had  called  him  to  the  work  of 
an  itinerant  minister,  he  offered  himself  to  the 
New  York  Conference  at  its  session  in  1859, 
was  received  on  trial,  and  stationed  on  the  Da- 
venport Circuit,  within  the  bounds  of  the  Pratts- 
ville  District. 

But  in  the  mysterious  providence  of  God  he 
was  never  permitted  to  go  to  the  field  of  labor 
assigned  him.  During  the  latter  part  of  the 
Conference  seSRon  he  was  taken  sick,  but  did 
not  resign  the  hope  of  going  to  his  appointment 
till  the  very  day  of  his  death.  Sis  soul  burned 
with  Christian  love  and  zeal,  and  the  thought 
of  going  forth  as  a  laborer  in  the  vineyard  of  his 
Lord,  to  share  its  toils,  its  trials,  and  successes, 
to  him  was  delightful  and  all-absorbing.  It  was 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  •  127 

the  ruling  theme  of  conversation  with  his  friends 
and  family,  during  each  day  of  his  last  illness, 
and  remained  with  him  to  the  very  end  of  life. 
Thus,  while  buckling  on  the  armor,  and  eager 
for  the  conflict,  he  was  stricken  down  by  death, 
and  taken  to  his  rest. 


STEPHEN  MAKTINDALE. 

Stephen  Martin  dale  died  at  his  residence  in 
Tarry  town,  Westch  ester  County,  N.  Y.,  May 
23,  1860,  after  an  illness  of  about  two  months, 
aged  seventy- three  years.  He  was  born  on  the 
Eastern  Shore  of  Maryland^n  1788.  His  father 
was  a  Local  Preacher,  his  grandfather  a  Minister 
of  the  Church  of  England.  He  was  early  left 
an  orphan,  and  was  indebted  to  the  fostering 
care  of  a  sister  during  his  tender  age.  He  en- 
tered Me  itinerant  ministry  in  1808,  under  the 
Presiding  Eldes,  when  he  was  twenty  years  old. 
In  the  following  year  he  was  received  into  the 
Philadelphia  Conference,  and  was  placed  on  the 
Somerset  Circuit,  on  the  Eastern  Shore. 

The  following  were  the  Circuits,  Stations,  and 
Districts,  which  he  filled  successively  through  a 
period  of  fifty-three  years:  Dover  and  Snowhill, 
on  the  peninsula;  Morris,  Essex,  and  Bergen 
Circuits,  in  New  Jersey ;  St.  George's,  Phila- 
delphia; again  on  the  Eastern  Shore,  Talbot, 


128  'SACRED  MEMORIES. 

Queen  Anne,  and  Kent  Circuits ;  Newark,  New 
Jersey  ;  New  York  city ;  New  Kochelle,  N.  Y. ; 
Troy,  N.  Y. ;  Boston,  Mass. ;  New  York  city 
again ;  Bridgeport,  on  the  New  Haven  District ; 
"White  Plains  Station;  Rhinebeck  District; 
Long  Island  District ;  Eighteenth-street,  New 
York  city,  and  in  Norfolk-street ;  on  the  Pratts- 
ville  District ;  Newhurgh  District ;  New  York 
District ;  and  Poughkeepsie  District.  In  1859, 
on  account  of  the  illness  of  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter, he  was  appointed  to  Irvington,  a  small  vil- 
lage near  his  residence.  Thus  it  will  be  seen 
what  an  extensive  range  of  appointments  ho 
filled  for  more  than  half  a  century,  acceptably 
and  usefully.  His  %miable  spirit,  and  his  re- 
markable equanimity  of  temper,  coolness,  and 
self-possession,  made  him  a  safe  and  judicious 
spiritual  ruler  in  the  Church.  Tall  and  well- 
proportioned,  with  a  countenance  fair  ancUpddy, 
expressive  of  intelligence  and  benignity  ;  a  voice 
whose  rich  intonations  flowed  aYid  rippled  like 
a  brook;  action  marked  by  vivacity  and  grace- 
fulness ;  sentiments  genial  and  truly  evangelical, 
and  a  diction  always  correct,  and  often  elegant, 
he  possessed,  especially  in  his  early  days,  and 
in  his  prime,  a  natural  eloquence,  which  made 
him  a  popular  preacher.  He  was  a  sound  theo- 
logian, and  remarkably  gifted  in  prayer. 

"  At  the  beginning  of  his  illness,"  says  Rev. 
Mr.  Matthias,  "  I  inquired  of  him  his  spiritual 


SACRED  MEMORIES.          %      123 

Btate.  He  turned  to  me  with  some  animation 
in  his  manner,  and  said,  'Brother  Matthias,  I 
can  say  with  the  Psalmist,  Because  he  has  set 
his  love  upon  me,  therefore  will  I  deliver  him. 
I  will  set  him  on  high,  because  he  hath  known 
my  name.  He  shall  cjall  upon  me,  and  I  will 
answer  him.  I  will  be  with  him  in  trouble.  I 
will  deliver  him  and  honor  him ;  with  long  life 
will  I  satisfy  him,  and  show  him  my  salvation.' 
"  This,  then,  is  your  testimony? "  said  I.  "  Yes, 
this  is  my  testimony." 

"At  other  times,  to  any  question  I  proposed  on 
the  same  subject,  he  was  clear  and  positive.  To 
his  daughter  he  said,  at  different  times  through- 
out his  sickness,  that  he  had  a  consciousness  of 
deep  peace.  '  I  have,'  said  he,  '  deep  peace  ; 
I  am  not  by  temperament  apt  to  be  ecstatic, 
but  I  have  perfect,  abiding  peace;'  and  would 
quote  portions  of  the  above  psalm.  To  an  aged 
friend  who  visited  him  he  said,  '  I  have  always 
believed  the  doctrines  I  have  preached,  and 
they  sustain  me  now.'  His  eldest  daughter 
states,  that  about  a  week  before  his  death  he 
awoke  from  sleep  with  an  expression  of  holy  joy 
in  his  countenance.  Sho  inquired  why  he  looked 
so  joyous.  '  O,'  said  he,  '  I  rejoice  with  all 
my  hearth  '  Why  do  you  rejoice  ? '  '  For 
every  thing,'  said  he.  '  O,  my  child,  my  work 
is  done.'  She  then  quoted  the  psalm  referred 
to  above.  He  said,  '  I  have  had  all  this,  and 


130  SACKED  MEMOEIES. 

* 

am  satisfied.  I  believe  the  doctrines  I  have 
preached.  I  might  have  done  more ;  but  I  did 
what  I  could ;  I  am  a  sinner  saved  by  grace,' 
'From  my  earliest  recollection,'  continues  this 
daughter,  "  I  considered  my  father  a  perfect 
Christian — a  beautiful  example;  it  was  this  that 
made  me  a  Christian  ;  it  was  his  daily  walk  in 
the  privacy  of  family  and  home  that  preached, 
and  made  us  love,  the  religion  which  he  so  illus- 

7  O 

trated.'  During  his  long  illness  he  dreaded 
impatience,  and  would  ask  if  he  were  so  at  any 
time.  Prayer  was  made  for  him  while  he  lay, 
as  we  supposed,  unconscious.  It  appeared  to 
arouse  him,  and  he  seemed  to  make  the  attempt 
to  participate  in  it.  About  five  o'clock  on  Wed- 
nesday morning  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus." 


DAVID   HOLLIES. 

David  Holmes  died  in  Sing  Sing,  May  9, 
1860,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  the 
thirty-seventh  of  his  ministry,  and  the  thirty- 
fourth  of  his  itinerancy.  He  was  the  subject  of 
early  religious  impressions,  but  was  more  fully 
aroused  to  a  sense  of  his  sinfulness  through  the 
ministry  of  the  late  Rev.  ISTathan  Emery,  and 
at  a  camp-meeting  at  Cow  Harbor  experienced 
a  radical  change  of  heart.  In  1817  he  united 
with  the  Church  at  Mamaroneck.  He  was 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  131 

licensed  to  preach  in  1823.  In  1824  he  was 
employed  to  supply  the  place  of  Rev.  J.  B. 
Matthias,  who  was  appointed  to  the  Highland 
'Mission.  In  1826  he  was  admitted  on  trial  by 
the  New  York  Conference,  and  appointed  to 
the  Jamaica  Circnit,  where  he*  labored  two 
years,  and  over  two  hundred  persons  were  con- 
verted. In  1828  he  was  appointed  to  Tyring- 
harn  Circuit ;  here  were  only  a  few  conversions. 
In  1829-30  to  Petersburg!! ;  in  these  two  years 
^he  Church  more  than  doubled  her  membership ; 
and  in  the  twenty-one  following  years,  in  his 
various  appointments,  he  had  more  or  less  re- 
vivals of  religion.  But  of  one  circuit  he  says, 
"I  followed  a  revival  so  called;  another  such 
would  ruin  any  circuit,  and  I  would  not  stay  to 
Bee  the  ruin  completed."  But  though  he  feared 
ruin,  that  circuit  still  lives,  and  from  the  last 
account  was  coming  "  up  from  the  wilderness 
leaning  upon  her  beloved."  In  1853  his  health 
began  to  fail,  and  with  some  difficulty  he  was 
able  to  fill  his  appointments.  "  The  official 
brethren,  to  their  praise  be  it  spoken,  kindly 
told  him  not  to  exert  himself  to  his  injury  when 
unable  to  preach,  but  to  be  with  them,  and  have 
a  prayer  meeting,  and  it  should  not  affect  his 
support ;  perhaps  he  would  rally  again,  and 
stay  his  time  out,  and  finish  his  itinerant  labors 
among  them  ;•"  and  thus,  he  remarks,  "  it  proved 
to  be."  In  1854  he  became  a  supernumerary, 


132  SACRED  MEMOHIES. 

and  in  1855  was  superannuated.  In  1856  his 
feebleness  increased,  and  in  the  following  year 
his  family  became  alarmed,  fearing  his  sudden* 
removal.  His  physician  being  called  in,  in- 
formed him  J;hat,  in  connection  with  several 
other  complaints,  he  had  a  chronic  affection  of 
the  heart ;  that  it  had  been  coming  on  gradually 
for  years,  and  that  his  present  danger  was  the 
accumulation  of  water  around  the  heart,  making 
his  breathing  painfully  difficult ;  that  to  recover 
his  health  was  impossible,  but  with  great  care* 
he  might  live  several  years  longer.  In  1858  he 
was  suddenly  brought  near  the  gates  of  death, 
but  the  Lord  kindly  brought  him  back  to  live 
in  the  bosom  of  his  family  and  friends  a  little 
longer.  He  remarks,  "It  is  possible,  from  the 
nature  of  my  complaint,  that  I  shall  die  sudden- 
ly ;  I  have  reason  to  expect  this ;  but  I  now 
have  time  to  reflect  on  the  past  history  of  my 
life,  and  to  look  forward  to  the  eternal  world ; 
and,  although  I  see  many  defects  in  the  past, 
much  to  humble  me  before  God,  and  which 
needs  the  •  blood  of  sprinkling,  yet  I  can  look 
back  on  God's  providential  dealings  often  work- 
ing in  my  "favor.  I  am  fully  satisfied  with  the 
Church  of  my  choice,  her  doctrines,  discipline, 
and  general  economy,  which  I  believe  are  nigher 
the  apostolic  plan  than  any  other  in  the  Chris- 
tian world.  With  my  feet  now  firmly  fixed 
upon  the  rock  of  Christ's  divinity,  of  experi- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  133 

mental  and  practical  religion,  I  now  stand ;  in 
this  faith  I  now  live  and  expect  to  die.  And 
what  if  I  should  die  suddenly  ?  I  trust,  through 
the  mercy  of  God,  to  stand  unmoved,  safe  on 
Mount  Zion,  where  many  of  my  more  worthy 
brethren  have  gone  before.  I  now  look  back 
with  pleasure  at  the  kind  manner  in  which  I 
have  been  treated  by  the  Cfrurch ;  both  preach- 
ers and  people  have  treated  me  with  no  small 
degree  of  kindness." 

Brother  Holmes  was  preacher  in  charge  twen- 
ty-five years,  and  was  never  in  the  habit  of 
giving  things  the  go-by  when  there  was  tangible 
proof  of.  the  vimation  of  discipline  by  unruly 
members.  "  How  I  have  escaped  scourging  in 
this  respect,"  he  says,  "  God  only  knows."  He 
further  remarks,  "Whether  I  have  done  much 
good  in  the  Church  or  no  has  caused  me  much 
painful  reflection.  If  I  have  been  instrumental 
of  spiritual  good  to  any  it  will  be  more  fully 
known  in  the  eternal  world ;  perhaps  I  shall 
have  a  few  stars  in  my  crown  in  that  day.  And 
now  that  the  evening  shades  have  come  upon 
me,  and  the  frosts  of  sixty-one  winters  have 
passed  over  me,  I  hope  to  spend  the  few  remain- 1 
ing  days  of  my  life  in  peace  and  quietude,  wait- 
ing until  my  last  great  change  shall  come." 
"When  he  returned  home  from  the  last  Confer- 
ence he  said,  "  I  shall  never  attend  another." 
The  writer  will  never  forget  the  look  he  gave 


134  SACKED  MEMORIES.  • 

the  Bishop  as  he  passed  before  him,  remarking, 
"I  have  a  good  hope  of  eternal  life." 

Brother  Holmes  was  taken  ill  on  the  last  day 
of  April,  but  only  confined  to  his  bed  for  three 
days.  He  was  favored  with  his  reason  until  the 
last  hour  of  his  life,  but  with  occasional  flighti- 
ness  during  the  last  night.  He  possessed  great 
calmness  during  h*is  illness,  which  caused  his 
wife  to  say  to  him,  "  Father,  how  is  it  that  you 
are  so  calm  when  you  know  that  you  are  so 
nigh  unto  death  ? "  He  replied,  "  You  know 
we  do  not  need  dying  grace  when  we  are  living, 
but  that  is  given  unto  us  wh£n  we  are  about 
dying."  The  day  before  his  death  his  wife, 
finding  him  weeping,  said,  "  Father,  what  is  the 
matter  ?  are  you  worse  ?  "  He  replied,  "  Jfo, 
but  Jesus  died  for  me."  All  the  night  before 
his  death  he  was  singing  various  hymns,  but  he 
repeated,  probably  twenty  times,  "There  all  the 
ship's  company  meet,"  etc. 

He  was  somewhat  restless  during  the  night, 
and  saidr  "  I  want  to  get  up."  Being  told  he 
was  too  weak  to  get  np,  he  said,  "Almost 
home."  •o  his  physician  he  said,  "  You  have 
1  come  to  see  an  old  Methodist  preacher  cross  the 
flood.  I  shall  get  safe  over  ;  Jesus  is  at  the 
helm."  The  doctor  afterward  said,  UI  had 
heard  of  such  things  before,  but  had  never  seen 
such  a  death."  Not  five  minutes  before  his 
death  his  wife  said  to  him,  "Father,  do  you 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  135 

know  rne  ? "  He  turned  his  eyes  to  her,  and 
said,  "  Tes,  my  dear."  His  only  daughter, 
standing  by,  said,  "  And  have  you  not  a  word 
for  me,  father?"  He  replied,  "Yes,  Mary," 
but  was  unable  to  say  more.  Such  was  the 
closing  scene  of  the  life  of  David  Holmes.  His 
surviving  companion,  who  had  been  united  to 
him  for  thirty-nine  years,  bears  this  testimony : 
He  was  every  day  alike,  a  Christian  man,  and 
those  who  were  acquainted«with  him  must  con- 
firm this  testimony.  He  was  a  good,  plain, 
practical,  acceptable,  and  successful  minister  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


BRADLEY  SILLICK. 

Bradley  Sillick  was  born  August  23,  1784,  in 
Danbury,  Conn.,  and  died  November  4,  1860, 
in  Hie 'city  of  New  York,  in  the  seventy-seventh 

•  v 

year  of  his  age.  From  his  childhood  he  was  the 
subject  of  deep  religions  impressions.  At  the 
age  of  twelve  he  became  a  Christian  and  a 
Methodist.  At  this  early  period  he  was  distin- 
guished for  the  earnestness  of  his  piety,  and  the 
activity  of  his  religious  course.  Before  he 
reached  his  twentieth  year  he  became  a  Local 
Preacher.  To  him  this  relation  to  the  Church 
was  a  sphere  of  usefulness.  His  labors  of  love 
are  remembered  gratefully  by  many  aged  mem- 


136  SACKED  MEMORIES.  * 

bers  of  our  Church  in  the  region  of  country 
where  he  then  resided.  In  1822  he  joined  the 
New  York  Conference,  .and  continued  a  mem- 
ber of  it  till  his  death.  He  possessed  a  strong, 
warm,  emotional  nature,  controlled  by  a  sense 
of  moral  right.  His  piety  was  active,  vigorous, 
and  enlightened.  In  the  field  of  labor  upon 
which  he  entered  he  always  found  enough  to 
do,  and  he  M'as  in  earnest  in  doing  it.  He  de- 
lighted in  the  work»to  which  he  was  called,  and 
kept  before  his  mind  the  great  object  of  the 
Christian  ministry — the  glory  of  God  in  the  sal- 
vation of  souls.  He  excelled  in  the  earnestness 
of  his  appeals  to  the  sinner's  conscience,  and 
the  forcible  application  of  truth  in  powerful 
exhortation. 

In  the  year  1832-3  he  was  the  Pastor  of  the 
Allen-street  Church,  ]S^ew  York,  during  the 
great  revival  that  marked  that  period  of  time, 
and  by  his  labors  contributed  largely  to  th£  in- 
fluence of  that  work.  The  wisdom  of  his  coun- 
sels, the  purity  of  his  life,  his  correct  example, 
rendered  essential  service  to  many  of  the  sub- 
jects of  that  revival,  who  are  now  engaged  in 
the  active  duties  of  the  ministry.  He  continued 
to  labor  in  various  appointments  till  1851. 
During  the  last  years  of  his  life  he  resided  in 
ISTew  York.  Here  he  was -much  esteemed  by 
the  minister  and  people  of  his  own  and  other 
branches  of  the  Christian  Church.  After  he 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  137 

was  made  a  superannuated  member  of  this  Con- 
ference he  entered  into  business  in  order  to  sup- 
port himself  and  family,  and  sustained  an  un- 
blemished reputation  as  a  business  man. 

To  the  close  of  his  life  he  cherished  a  warm 
regard  for  the  Church  of  his  choice.  He  loved 
her  ministers,  her  doctrines,  and  general  econo- 
my. His  last  illness  was  painful  and  distressing, 
but  a  divine  arm  supported  him — he  magnified 
his  Lord  in  the  dying  hour.  God  granted  his 
servant  an  unclouded  intellect  to  the  last  hour 
of  .life.  He  departed  this  life  full  of  years,  con- 
fidence, and  hope. 


PHESTEAS  EICE. 

Phineas  Rice  was  born  in  1786  in  the  State 
of  Vermont.  Pie  was  converted  when  about 
sixteen  years  of  age,  and  was  soon  called  to  ex- 
ercise his  gifts  in  public  exhortation  and  prayer. 
His  brethren  soon  marked  him  as  one  called  of 
God-  to  the  work  of  the  ministry. 

In  1807  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  New 
York  Conference,  and  appointed  to  labor  as 
junior  preacher  on  Granville  Circuit.  In  1808 
he  was  appointed  to  Middletown  and  Hartford. 
In  1809  he  was  admitted  into  full  connection, 
and  ordained  Deacon.  The  minute  made  of 
him  upon  the  journal  of  the  Conference  at  the 


138  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

time  of  his  admission  is  highly  illustrative  of  his 
character :  "  Phineas  Rice  :  single,  traveled  two 
years,  a  little  funny,  acceptable,  sound  in  doc- 
. trine  and  discipline."  He  was  subsequently  ap- 
pointed to  the  following  fields  of  labor,  namely : 
In  1809  to  Plattsburgh  Circuit ;  in  1810,  New- 
burgh  Circuit ;  1811,  Manchester  Circuit ;  1812, 
Newhaven  Circuit ;  1813,  stationed  in  New  York 
city  ;  1814,  Stamford  Circuit ;  1815,  Hudson  Cir- 
cuit ;  1816,  Albany  Circuit ;  1817,  Chatham  Cir- 
cuit ;  1818-19,  Jamaica,  L.  I. ;  1820,  New  Wind- 
sor Circuit;  1821-2,  stationed  in  Albany;  1823^4, 
New  York  city  ;  1825-6,  New  Rochelle  Circuit ; 
1827-30,  Presiding  Elder  of  Hudson  River  Dis- 
trict ;  1831,  New  Windsor  Circuit ;  1832-4, 
Presiding  Elder  on  Rhinebeck  District ;  1835-8, 
Newburgh  District ;  1839-40,  Bedford-street, 
New  York  city  ;  1841-3,  Presiding  Elder  on 
New  York  District;  1844-5,  Willett-street,  New 
York  city ;  1846-7,  York-street,  Brooklyn  ; 
1848-50,  Presiding  Elder  on  Rhinebeck  Dis- 
trict ;  1851-4,  Poughkeepsie  District ;  1855-8, 
New  York  District ;  1859-61,  Newburgh  Dis- 
trict. Here  he  closed  his  long  and.,  successful 
career  in  the  Christian  ministry  on  the  fourth 
day  of  December,  1861.  From  the  foregoing 
statistics  it  will  be  seen  that  the  ministry  of 
Brother  Rice  extended  over  a  period  of  nearly 
fifty-five  years,  and  that  each  year,  during  all 
that  long  period,  he  was  returned  effective,  md 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  139 

received  regularly  his  appointment.  He  was 
on  circuits  sixteen  years,  in  stations  eleven  years, 
and  in  the  Presiding  Elder's  office  twenty-eight 
years,  the  last  being  not  quite  completed  at  the 
time  of  his  death. 

Dr.  Rice  was  a  marked  man  in  every  respect. 
His  piety  was  deep,  fervent,  and  abiding.  He 
was  eminently  a  man  of  prayer.  Those  who 
have  occupied  the  same  room  with  him  in  his 
visits  upon  his  districts  or  at  Conferences  will 
bear  witness  how  long-protracted  were  his  pri- 
vate devotions,  and  how  earnest  his  pleadings 
with  God.  At  home  he  had  an  hour  each  after- 
noon consecrated  to  private  devotion.  In  the 
pulpit  he  was  always  a  man  of  power. 

Possessing  a  keen  perception  of  the  ludicrous, 
together  with  great  vividness  of  imagination, 
and  a  peculiar  aptness  at  illustration,  his  con- 
ceptions were  not  unfrequently  quaint,  and 
quaintly  expressed.  There  was  often  a  vein  of 
hurnor  in  his  discourses,  of  which  he  seemed 
wholly  unconscious ;  for.  though  his  audience 
might  be  convulsed,  he  never  lost  the  gravity  of 
the  Christian  minister.  In  all  his  discourses 
there  was  a  clearly  defined  line  of  argument, 
not  unfrequently  interspersed  with  passage^  of 
deep  pathos  and  stirring  thought,  rising  in  their 
expression  to  the  sublime  height  of  true  elo- 
quence, breaking  suddenly  upon  his  audience, 
and  thrilling  them  with  the  deepest  emotions. 


140  SACRED  MEMOBIES. 

The  eccentricities  of  Dr.  Rice,  whether  mani- 
festing themselves  in  social  life  or  in  the  pulpit, 
were  not  unseemly,  and  were  indeed  often  em- 
ployed to  great  and  good  effect,  because  they 
were  natural.  But  they  were  so  peculiarly  of 
his  own  pattern  that  any  attempt  to  imitate 
them  must  result  in  a  sad  and  injurious  failure. 
No  man  was  truer,  theoretically  and  practically, 
to  the  original  principles  of  Methodist  itinerancy 
than  Dr.  Rice.  He  was  a  man  of  great  punctu-. 
alitv  in  all  his  en«;ao;ements.  Nothing  short  of 

«,'  ~       "  O 

absolute  impossibility  could  prevent  his  fulfill- 
ing all  his  appointments.  He  never  shrank 
from  any  labor  to  which  he  was  called  in  the 
providence  of  God.  He  possessed  a  nobleness 
of  nature  which  seemed  to  render  him  incapable 
of  a  mean  act. 

m 

Dr.  Rice  was  a  wise  counselor  and  a  true 
friend.  lie  never  allowed  his  judgment  to  be 
biased  by  unfounded  prejudices.  It  is  the  uni- 
form testimony  of  those  who  have  been  much 
with  him  in  the  bishops'  councils,  that  even  the 
personal  unkindnesses  which  he  sometimes  re- 
ceived, in  consequence  of  his  motives  being 
mistaken,  had  no  effect  whatever  upon  his 
action.  The  preachers  on  his  various  districts 
have  always  felt  that  they  could  confide  in  both 
his  judgment  and  his  friendship. 

He  was  a  delegate  to  each  successive  Gen- 
eral Conference  from  1820  to  1856  inclusive, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  141 

and  would  undoubtedly  have  been  elected  to 
that  of  1860  had  not  his  failing  health  and  the 
growing  infirmities  of  age  made  it  impossible 
for  him  to  attend. 

The  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity ;  but  the  highest  honor  that  crowned  his 
person  or  his  ministry  was  conferred  upon  him 
by  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  giving  him 
in  every  place  souls  for  his  hire  and  seals  to  his 
ministry. 

During  the  last  months  of  his  life  he  was  a 
great  but  patient  sufferer.  He  calmly  con- 
templated the  approach  of  death  ;  and  so  long 
as  consciousness  and  power  of  utterance  re- 
remained,  he  was  hopeful,  cheerful,  and  often 
vivacious.  His  faith  in  Christ  was  unshaken. 
He  was  never  accustomed  to  speak  much  of  his 
own  feelings  or  exercises  of  mind  ;  but  in  the 
closing  scene  of  his  life  his  testimony  was  most 
explicit  and  heart-cheering.  He  had  t'aken 
much  interest  in  the  erection  of  the  new  church 
in  Newburgh,  the  place  of  his  tesidence.  On 
the  day  of  its  dedication,  the  Rev.  C.  B.  Sing 
called  upon  him,  and  though  he  had  already  de- 
scended far  into  the  dark  valley,  he  listened 
with  deep  interest  to  a  recital  of  the  ceremonies 
of  the  occasion  and  the  appearance  of  the  house ; 
then,  with  deep  pathos,  he  exclaimed,  "I  have 
a  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands, 


142  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

eternal  in  the  heavens."  To  Bishop  Janes  he 
said,  "  I  feel  that  God  loves  me.  I  love  Jesus 
Christ,  and  I  trust  in  his  atonement.  I  have 
not  as  much  lively  joy  as  some  have,  nor  as 
much  as  I  desire,  but  I  shall  not  be  lost.  I 
have  no  fear.  I  shall  be  saved.  I  have  no 
fear.  I  have  no  fear."  When  the  venerable 
Marvin  Richardson,  now  the  senior  member  of 
the  Conference,  asked  him  if  he  had  any  words 
to  leave  to  that  body,  "  2so,  my  life  is  before 
them,"  was  his  reply.  His  brethren  will  feel 
that  this  is  a  precious  legacy. 

Thus  passed  away  'a  great  and  good  man 
— a  man  eminent  for  the  singleness  of  purpose 
with  which  he  lived  and  labored — a  man  true 
to  his  brethren,  true  to  the  Church,  and  true  to 
his  God.  He  rests  from  his  labors,  and  his 
works  do  follow  him. 


THOMAS   BAINBRIDGE. 

Thomas  Bainbridge  was  born  in  Appleby, 
England,  October  26th,  1792.  He  manifested 
a  decided  seriousness  during  his  more  youthful 
days,  eschewing  the  way  of  trangressors,  and 
avoiding  the  company  of  the  wicked  and  profane. 
His  conversion,  however,  did  not  take  place  un- 
til his  twenty-fourth  year.  About  three  years 
aiter  that  he  became  a  Local  Preacher  in  the 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  143 

Wesleyan  Connection.  Shortly  after  entering 
the  ranks  of  the  local  ministry  in  England  he 
came  to  America.  He  preached  his  first  sermon 
in  the  laud  of  his  adoption  for  the  Rev.  William 
Burnett,  who  was  then  chaplain  at  Bedloe's 
Island.  His  preaching  at  that  time  will  be  re- 
membered as  exceedingly  fervent,  full  of  love 
and  pathos,  admonitory  to  sinners,  and  comfort- 
ing to  saints.  He  joined  the  New  York  Confer- 
ence in  1833,  having  been  previously  employed, 
under  the  Presiding  Elder,  as  the  col^gue  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Levings,  in  New  Haven,  Conn. 
He  filled  his  appointments  generally  with  great 
acceptability  and  usefulness,  was  active  in  the 
erection  of  churches,  and  zealous  in  promoting 
revivals  of  religion.  He  was  also  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  temperance  cause.  His  heart  waji 
with  the  bondman,  and  he  warmly  espoused  the 
antislavery  cause. 

His  different  appointments  during  the  period 
of  his  itinerancy  were  successively  Derby  Cir- 
cuit, Hamden,  Winsted,  Salisbury,  West  Stock- 
bridge  and  Canaan  Circuit,  Hillsdale,  Spencer- 
town,  Hudson,  Forty-first-street,  »New  York 
city,  Harlem,  and  Richmond. 

He  became  superannuated  in  1853.  Settling 
in  the  village  of  Fordham,  Westchester  County, 
N.  Y.,  he  built  a  small  place  of  worship,  col- 
lected together  a  small  membership,  organized 
a  Sunday-school,  and  preached  as  he  was  able, 


144  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

assisted  from  time  to  time  by  the  Local  Preach- 
ers. In  his  best  days  Brother  Bain  bridge  was 
a  beautiful  singer.  His  Christian  charity  was 
unbounded.  He  never  took  up  a  reproach 
against  his  neighbor,  and  nothing  grieved  him 
more  than  the.  prevalence  of  slander  or  evil 
speaking.  He  was  deeply  affected  by  the  late 
war.  and  was  accustomed  to  say  that  he  only 
wished  to  live  that  he  might  see  the  Union 
restored  upon  right  principles,  and  the  contest 
triumphantly  closed  in  the  suppression  of  the 
rebellion.  He  was  a  great  sufferer  for  the  six 
months  previous  to  his  death,  but  was  calm  and 
resigned.  The  grave  was  not  shrouded  in 
gloom,  nor  was  death  to  him  the  king  of  ter- 
rors. For  the  last  few  days  before  his  death  he 
geemed  completely  loosened  from  the  things  of 
earth,  and  to  be  perfectly  absorbed  in  the  things 
of  God  and  of  heaven.  He  was  taken  suddenly 
worse  on  Saturday,  March  8,  1862,  and  from 
that  time  failed  rapidly.  On  the  following  Sab- 
bath J.  S.  Perry  called  to  see  him,  and  to  him 
he  said,  "  I  trust  in  Christ  crucified  ;  he  is  my 
only  hope."*  From  that  time  he  grew  rapidly 
worse,  and  on  Monday  morning,  at  half  past 
two  o'clock,  March  10,  1862,  he  sweetly  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  145 

BENJAMIN  GRLFFEN. 

Benjamin  Griffen  was  the  son  of  John  and 
Esther  Griffen.  He  was  born  in  Mamaroneck, 
Westchester  County,  JSL  Y.,  June  6,  1792,  and 
died  in  the  adjoining  town  of  Rye,  June  20, 
1861,  aged  sixty-nine  years.  In  early  life  Brother 
Griffen  was  of  a  lively  and  cheerful  tempera- 
ment, and  won  a  large  circle  of  friends.  When 
about  nineteen  years  of  age  he  experienced  re- 
ligion, and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  At  a-  neighborhood  meeting,  held  in 
the  house  of  his  stepfather,  Miss  Mary  Halsted, 
his  half  sister,  arose  and  spoke.  As  she  talked 
of  heaven  and  $[esus  her  own  heart  grew  warm, 
and  the  words,  like  good  seed,  fell  upon  the 
heart  of  her  brother,  already  prepared  by  a  pious 
mother's  culture.  While  she  yet  talked,  this 
startling  question  arose  in  young  Griffon's  mind, 
and  demanded  an  answer,  "  Shall  heaven  and 
hell  divide  this  family  ? "  The  question  was  too 
stern,  and  the  impression  upon  his  mind  too 
deep,  to  admit  of  evasion  or  delay,  and  as  that 
sister,  with  a  joyful  radiance  upon  her  counte- 
nance, sank  into  her  seat,  the  resolve  was  taken, 
and  the  deliberate  answer  came  almost  to  the 
lip,  *'  No,  they  shall  not !  "  With  the  same  de- 
cision which  ever  marked  his  character  he  went 
directly  to  the  cross  of  Christ,  and.  soon  expe- 


rienced religion. 


10 


t 

146  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

Almost  immediately  he  entered  upon  the  work 
of  his  Master.  His  first  attempt  to  speak  in 
public  was  at  the  house  of  Mr.  A.  Gales,  near 
his  native  place.  He  arose  much  agitated,  and 
with  deep  emotion  said,  "  You  all  know  better 
what  to  say  than  I  do ;  but  I  warn  you  all  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come."  Short,  but 
effective  sermon !  God  set  his  seal  to  it. 
By  its  instrumentality  one  man  was  convicted 
and  led  to  Christ.  This  lay  serjpon  was  the 
germ  of  a  long  and  useful  ministry.  Soon 
after,  he  was  licensed  to  preach.  In  1811  he 
was  received  on  trial  by  the  Xew  York  Con- 
ference, and  remained  a  member  of  it — except 
a  location  of  five  years — for  fifjy  years.  The 
class  with  which  he  entered  Conference  con- 
sisted of  fourteen  members,  of  whom  only  one 
survived  him — Rev.  Samuel  Luckey,  D.D.,  wt 
Western  Xew  York.  In  a  Conference  of  two 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  members  we  have  only 
one  remaining  who  entered  the  itinerant  ranks 
at  an  earlier  date,  namely,  Rev.  Marvin  Rich- 
ardson. 

Brother  Griffen  filled  the  following  appoint- 
ments :  Saratoga,  Litchfield,  and  Stamford  Cir- 
cuits. In  1816  he  located,  and  entered  into  the 
dry  goods  business  in  Xew  York.  This  he 
afterward  regretted,  and  in  1821  was  readmit- 
ted to  the  Conference,  and  stationed  in  Troy 
that  and  the  succeeding  year.  He  then  labored 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  147 

successively  upon  Pittstown,  "Saratoga,  and 
Charlotte  Circuits.  In  1829  and  1830  he  la- 
bored on  New  Windsor,  and  the  two  following 
years  on  the  'New  Paltz  Circuit.  He  was  Pas- 
tor of  the  Willett-street  Church  in 'New*  York 
city  in  1832  and  1833.  His  next  charge  was 
Kingston  and  Rondout.  Here  he  remained  one 
year,  and  was  then  appointed  to  the  oversight 
pf  Rhinebeck  District,  where  he  labored  four 
years.  In  1839  and  1840  he  was  stationed  in 
Brooklyn,  where  he  organized  the  Centenary 
Church.  The  two  following  years  he  was  Pas- 
tor of  the  Bedford-street  Church,  New  York. 
In  1843  and  1844  he  labored  at  Flushing,  L.  I., 
and  then  took  the  pastoral  oversight  of  the  Wash- 
ington-street Church,  Poughkeepsie.  From  there 
he  returned  to  the  Centenary  Church,  Brooklyn, 
and  then  had  charge  of  the  New  York  District 
four  years.  In  1852  and  1853  he  was  again 
stationed  at  Kingston,  and  the  two  following 
years  in  Newcastle  and  Pine's  Bridge.  Then 
he  had  charge  of  the  Church  in  White  Plains. 
In  1858  he  was  the  Pastor  of  the  Cold  Spring 
Church,  and  for  the  last  two  years  of  his  life  he 
acted  as  Conference  Tract  Agent.  At  the  last 
Conference  he  was  appointed  for  the  third  time 
to  Kingston,  but  never  reached  his  field  of 
labor. 

In  1853  Brother  Griffen  was  elected  Secre- 
tary of  his  Conference,  and  was  re-elected  an- 


148  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

nually  to  the  time  of  his  death.  "Writing  up 
the  records  of  the  recent  session  was  about  the 
last  of  his  earthly  work. 

He  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  General 
Conference  in  1848,  and  also  in  1856  and  1860. 
At  the  last  two  sessions  of  that  body  he  was  first 
Assistant  Secretary. 

He  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity.  He  never 
sacrificed  principle  to  policy.  A  pure  conscience* 
was  to  him  above  price  ;  lie  never  sold  it  for 
gain  or  popularity.  Possessed  in  an  eminent 
degree  of  these  elements  of  character,  Brother 
Griften  rose  in  the  estimation  of  his  brethren 
just  in  proportion  to  the  intimacy  of  their  ac- 
quaintance with  him.  He  never  had  so  dear  a 
place  in  the  hearts  of  his  brethren  as  in  the  later 
years  of  his  ministry. 

He  was  an  excellent  expounder  of  ecclesiasti- 
cal law.  Few  remaining  among  us  are  so  well 
versed  in  the  polity  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
*  Church.  As  a  disciplinarian  he  was  strict,  per- 
haps rigid,  following  the  letter  of  the  law. 
Brother  Griften  was  a  good  preacher — sound  in 
theology,  scriptural,  practical,  and  plain.  God  has 
graciously  crowned  his  ministry  with  success.  On 
his  return  from  the  seat  of  Conference  he  stopped 
at  the  house  of  his  son.  in  the  city  of  Xew  York, 
and  complained  of  excessive  fatigue.  The  next 
day  he  reached  his  home  in  Rye,  and  imme- 
diately began  his  preparations  for  a  removal  to 


SACRED  MEMOEIES.  149 

his  remote  field  of  labor.  While  thus  engaged 
he  was  taken  sick.  His  painful  illness,  which 
lasted  five  weeks,  was  borne  with  great  fortitude 
and  Christian  resignation.  On  the  third  day  of 
his  sickness  he  said  to  his  wife,  "  My  work  is 
done."  Shortly  before  his  death  he  called  his 
wife,  and  said,  "  My  dear,  I  am  going." 
"Where?"  she  inquired.  "To  heaven.  I 
am  going  up,  up,  up,  to  be  forever  with  the 
Lord.  Halleluiah!  halleluiah!  halleluiah!" 
His  weeping  companion  asked,  "  Father,  what 
shall  I  do?"  '•  Follow  me,  as  I  have  followed 
the  Saviour."  He  then  asked  for  his  son-in- 
law,  Mr.  Halsted,  who  was  absent,  and  then  for 
his  daughter.  When  she  came  to  his  bedside, 
he  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  said,  "  O,  daugh- 
ter, how  much  you  have  been  upon  my  mind  ! 
Strive  to  meet  me  in  heaven."  He  gave  direc- 
tions for  his  funeral,  requesting  that  little  might 
be  said,  "  only  I  am  a  sinner  saved  by  grace," 
and  expressing  a  desire  that  his  funeral  might 
be  without  display,  and  that  his  body  might  be 
interred  in  his  own  plat  of  ground  in  the  village 
of 'Rye.  He  "fell  asleep"  on  Thursday  after- 
noon at  six  o'clock.  Just  as  the  bright  June 
sun  was  sinking  in  the  west,  his  sun  arose  to  set 
no  more  forever. 

Rev.  P.  Rice,  D.D.,  his  early  companion  in 
toil  and  his  constant  friend,  preached  his  funeral 
sermon,  assisted  in  the  services  by  Revs.  Yin- 


150  SACKED  MEMOKIES 

cent,  Durbin,  Floy,  and  Richardson.  His  friends 
gathered  to  take  the  final  look,  and  drop  their 
tears  upon  his  coffin,  and  then  all  that  was  mor- 
tal of  Rev.  Benjamin  Griffen  was  laid  quietly 
.  to  rest  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  close  by  the 
shore  of  Long  Island  Sound,  waiting  the  sum 
mons  to  arise. 


PELATIAH  WARD. 

Pelatiah  Ward  was  born  in  Dover,  Duchess 
County,  N.  Y.  While  studying  law  at  Pough- 
keepsie  he  attended  the  Cannon-street  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  and  there,  under  the  pun- 
gent and  faithful  appeals  of  Rev.  J.  B.  Merwin, 
he  was  awakened  to  see  himself  a  lost  sinner. 
The,  past,  with  its  sins  and  errors,  and  the  fu- 
ture, with  its  responsibilities  and  consequences, 
were-  before  him.  He  had  reached,  in  a  moral 
view,  that  point  in  his  history  where  two  ways 
meet,  and  from  which  they  diverge — one  lead- 
ing to  earthly  glory  and  honor,  the  other  to  a 
cross  and  a  crown.  While  pondering  the  ques- 
tion- as  to  the  path  he  should  pursue,  he  went  to 
hear  Professor  Mahan  preach  from  the  text, 
"How  can  ye  believe  who  receive  honor  one  of 
another?"  That  sermon  decided  his  course. 
At  its  close  he  rose,  went  forward  to  the  front 
of  the  pulpit,  and  falling  down  on  his  face, 
asked  the  prayers  of  the  Church  in  his  behalf. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  151 

Soon  after,  lie  found  peace  in  Christ,  and  turned 
his  attention  to  the  Christian  ministry.  He 
brought  to  the  work  abilities  of  a  high  order. 
Nature  had  lavished  upon  him  rare  and  choice 
gifts.  He  had  a  presence  of  unusually  fair  and 
noble  proportions,  which  but,  indicated  the  char- 
acter and  proportions  of  his  mind.  There  was 
a  quickness  of  conception,  a  power  of  analysis, 
a  readiness  of  utterance,  and  an  eloquence  of 
expression  rarely  surpassed.  He  also  possessed 
a  feeling,  affectionate  heart,  which  made  him  a 
special  favorite  in  social  life.  He  was,  in  the 
best  sense  of  the  term,  a  gentleman  ;  full  of  that 
kindness  and  affability  which  constitutes  true 
nobility  ;  and  with  this  there  was  combined 
great  courage.  His  was  the  type  of  character 
symbolized  in  the  "  sea  of  glass  mingled  with 
fire/'  or,  afte?  the  model  of  Him  "  who  was 
made  higher  than  the  heavens,"  at  one  moment 
represented  as  a  lamb,  and  at  another  as  a 
lion. 

In  1846  he  joined  the  New  York  Conference, 
and  served  in  succession  the  following  appoint- 
ments :  Duchess,  Lee,  Salisbury,  New  Concord, 
Chatham,  Harlem,  Yonkers,  Yorkville.  He  was 
well  received  in  all  these  appointments,  and  in 
some  of  them  eminently  successful. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  he  was  appointed  to 
Ellenville,  and  entered  upon  his  work  with 
promise  of  great  success  and  usefulness.  The 


152  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

people  were  just  learning  to  love  him  as  a  Pas- 
tor, when  suddenly,  under  the  impulses  of  those 
st ran jie  and  unnatural  times,  he  appeared  before 
them  in  another  and  a  new  relation.  The  gov- 
ernment wanted  soldiers,  and  his  was  one  of 
those  generous  and  determined  spirits  that  said 
this  call  must  be  met.  Under  the  influence  of 
his  stirring,  and  almost  resistless  appeals,  some 
one  hundred  and  thirty  men  rallied  to  the  stand- 
ard within  the  short  period  of  ten.  days.  He 
thought  to  go  with  those  who  thus  gathered 
about  him  as  chaplain  of  the  regiment  in  which 
they  enlisted,  and  had  the  position  offered  for 
his  acceptance.  But  such  were  the  attachments 
formed  fur  him,  and  such  the  confidence  in  his 
bravery  and  adaptation  to  the  office,  that  with 
one  voice  his  men  clamored  for  him  as  their 
commander  ;  and  when  their  vStes  were  cast, 
without  exception,  they  demanded  him  as  their 
captain.  He  felt  himself  in  honor  bound  to 
comply,  and  gave  himself  at  once  to  the  faithful 
discharge  of  the  onerous  duties  of  his  new  call- 
ing. How  well  he  succeeded  let  the  earnest 
and  enthusiastic  testimony  of  those  who  remain 
of  his  brave  men  determine.  Xo  statements  of 
less  interested  parties  are  worthy  of  attention. 
He  went  with  them  to  the  seat  of  war.  He 
never  even  left  them  on  furlough  to  visit  his 

a 

much-beloved  family.  He  marched  with  them, 
and  shared  their  hardships ;  and  when  called  to 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  153 

face  the  enemy,  he  fought  at  their  head  until 
the  deadly  missile  laid  him  low,  and  he  could 
do.  no  more. 

At  the  following  session  of  his  Conference, 
such  was  the  love  for  him  of  his  brethren  in  the 
ministry,  and'their  confidence  in  his  integrity  and 
Christian  patriotism  in  the  course  he  had  pur- 
sued, that  they  regularly  continued  his  standing 
with  them,  and,  as.  the  only  way  of  meeting  the 
case,  he  was  given  a  "  nominal  "  appointment. 
We  hoped  to  have  him  return  again,  when 
this  dreadful  war  had  been  brought  to  a  Success- 
ful issue,  and  resume  his  place  in  the  pulpit  and 
pastorate.  But  it  is  otherwise,  and  we  bow  in 
submission.  On  Saturday,  August  30,  while 
engaged  in  deadly  combat  with  the  demon  re- 
bellion, he  received  a  serious  wound  in  the  right 
arm  by  some  fragment  from  a  bursting  shell, 
having  the  appearance  of  the  point  of  an  old 
sword.  Thus  in  part  disabled,  he  retired  a  lit- 
tle, and  used  his  revolver  as  best  he  could  with 
his  left  hand.  . 

While  thus  standing  in  the  rear,  for  the  sixth 
time  that  day  the  color-bearer  was  shot  down. 
Such  fatality  had  attended  that  position  that  no 
one  again  volunteered  to  save  it  from  disgrace. 
At  that  moment  our  lines  were  falling  back, 
and  those  of  the  enemy  advancing,  and  the  flag, 
lying  between  the  two,  about  to  be  captured, 
when  Ward  sprang  to  the  front,  and,  raising  it 


154  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

above  his  head,  shouted  to  his  men  to  stand 
firm.  Within  five  minutes  a  Minie  ball  tore 
clear  through  his  hips,  making  a  wound  an  inch 
in  diameter.  He  fell,  but  encouraged  his  men 
to  hold  their  ground  and  not  to  mind  him.  They 
bore  him  off  the  field  ;  but  while  so  doing,  the 
bloodthirsty  fiend,  as  if  determined  to  make  an 
end  of  so  brave  an  opponent,  directed  a  piece 
of  shell  that  made  a  fearful  wound  across  the 
small  of  his  back.  Thus  mangled,  three  true 
hearts,  with  strong  arms,  carried  him  six  miles 
to  Centerville.  and  thence  he  was  taken  to  the 
hospital  at  Alexandria,  where,  under  the  best 
attention  that  could  be  given,  he  lingered 
until  Tuesday  evening,  September  2,  when 
he  yielded  up  his  spirit  to  God  who  gave 
it.  Rev.  Mr.  Van  Santvoord,  Chaplain  of  the 
Twentieth,  conversed  with  him  the  day  he  died, 
and  received  his  assurances  of  confidence  in 
Christ  as  his  Saviour,  and  of  eternal  safety  and 
happiness  in  heaven  when  the  storm  of  life  wa? 
over. 

From  the  best  information  we  can  gather,  he 
maintained  his  Christian  character  while  in  the 
army.  He  occasionally  exercised  his  ministerial 
functions.  He  rebuked  the  wickedness  of  those 
about  him.  In  the  pocket  of  the  tattered  coat, 
in  which  for  three  days,  through  fire  and  smoke, 
he  had  followed  the  flag  of  his  country,  was 
found  the  well-fingered  pocket  Testament,  from 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  155 

wlych  he  had  learned  not  only  his  duty  to  his 
God,  but  also  to  his  country. 

In  the  last  letter  he  ever  wrote  to  those  he 
loved  most  he  uttered  a  sentiment  which  indi- 
cates a  patriotism  unsurpassed  in  the  history  of 
the  world  :  "  If  I  fall,  my  wife  will  have  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  she  has  contributed  a 
husband,  and  my  children  a  father,  for  the  sal- 
vation of  the  country." 

May  we  not  say  of  the  departed,  "  The  beauty 
of  Israel  is  slain  upon  thy  high  places."  Ye 
hills  of  Manasses,  "  let  there  be  no  dew,  nei- 
ther let  there  be  rain  upon  you,  npr  fields  of 
offerings :  for  there  the  shield  of  the  mighty  is 
cast  away  as  though  he  had  not  been  anointed. 
How  are  the  mighty  fallen,  and  the  weapons  of 
war  perished  ! " 


NATHAN  RICE. 

Nathan  Rice  was  born  June  10,  1Y92,  in 
Coventry,  «Rhode  Island  ;  and  died  in  Washing- 
tonville,  K  Y.,  February  21,  1864.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  four  years  old.  His  mother 
was  a  pious  member  of  the  Free-will  Baptist 
Church.  The  fervent  prayers  of  this  sainted 
mother  sometimes  awakened  the  subject  of  this 
memoir  from  his  midnight  slumbers.  He  was 
the  youngest  of  seven  children.  The  family 


156  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

during  his  infancy  moved  to  Great  Barrington, 
Mass.  The  first  sermon  he  heard  by  a  Method- 
ist minister  was  from  the  late  Rev.  William 
Jewett.  At  about  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was 
led  to  the  Saviour  by  the  instrumentality  of  the 
Rev.  Phineas  Rice,  deceased.  He  joined  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Lee,  Mass.,  and 
continued  an  active  and  useful  member  for  ten 
years.  In  1819  he  joined  the  Xew  York  An- 
nual Conference  with  Daniel  Coe,  John  Bangs. 
Oriu  Pier,  G.  Coles,  and  S.  D.  Ferguson.  The 

/  o 

Conference  then  embraced  all  the  territory  in- 
cluded in  the  present  Troy,  Xew  York  East,  and 
ISTew  York  Conferences.  He  was  successively 
appointed  to  the  following  fields  of  labor,  name- 
ly :  Delaware,  Sullivan,  Petersburgh,  Granville, 
Conn.,  Pittston,  Warren,  Saratoga,  Middle- 
town,  Xew  York,  Sullivan,  Xew  Windsor,  Phil- 
lipstown,  Bedford,  Xew  Milford,  Huntington, 
Smithtown,  West  Hampton,  Xorth  Hempstead, 
Woodstock.  Marlborough,  and  Rossville. 

In  1854,  worn  down  with  toil  on  these  distant 
fields  of  labor,  be  was  obliged  to  retire  from 
the  itinerant  field.  Since  then,  as  a  superannu- 
ated minister,  he  has  continued  to  labor  as  his 
strength  and  health  would  admit.  Part  of  this 
^iiiie  he  has  acted  as  a  colporteur,  and  part  of 
the  time  he  has  supplied  pulpits  which  have 
been  temporarily  vacant  by  the  absence  or  sick- 
ness of  a  pastor.  To  the  measure  of  his  ability 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  157 

he  has  spent  these  years  of  age  and  infirmity  in 
doing  good.  ~No  longer  able  to  maintain  his 
position  in  the  front  rank  of  the  sacramental 
host,  where  he  had  stood  for  thirty-five  years, 
he  cheerfully  fell  back,  and  for  the  last  ten  years 
has  formed  a  part  of  that  heroic  rear-guard, 
made  up  of  veteran  warriors.  His  last  battle 
was  nobly  Bought,  and  death  is  vanquished. 
Another  good  man,  another  good  minister,  has 
finished  his  earthly  course ;  another  star,  less 
brilliant  than  some,  but  gentle  and  pure  as  any, 
has  hid  itself  in  heaven's  own  light. 

Brother  Rice  was  a  true  patriot.  He  looked 
upon  the  late  rebellion  as  a  horrible  crime 
against  God  and  humanity,  and  anxiously  de- 
sired to  live  to  see  it  overthrown.  Until  almost 
the  last  hour  of  his  life*he  eagerly  inquired  after 
the  news  from  the  seat^  of  war.  Our  sainted 
brother  was  an  example  of  simplicity.  There 
was  no  display  in  or  out  of  the  pulpit.  His 
method  of  preaching  was  plain,  direct,  earnest, 
and  interwoven  with  a  happy  personal  experi- 
ence. His  unmistakable  aim  was  to  do  srood : 

cj  7 

and  God  honored  his  ministry  with  great  suc- 
cess. Many  who  linger  on  earth — many  who 
are  now  with  him — were  saved  by  his  instru- 
mentality. He  counted  not  his  life  dear  unto 
himself,  so  that  he  might  win  souls  to -Christ. 
On  circuits  very  large,  far  apart,  and  sometimes 
ry  rough,  he  crossed  mountains,  encountered 


158  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

winter  storms,  and  forded  rivers,  that  he  might 
,  attain  the  object  of  his  mission,  the  salvation  of 
men.  Without  murmur  or  complaint  he  steadi- 
ly pursued  his  course.  His  life  of  sacrifice  and 
toil  is  now  over.  The  last  river — death — i& 
forded  ;  and  the  bliss  of  a  great  reward,  a  home 
unswept  by  winter  storms,  is  his  forever.  Kind- 
ness was  a  law  of  his  life.  He  delighted  in  the 
welfare  of.  others.  His  was  a  sympathetic  na- 
ture. It  is  doubted  whether  he  had  an  enemy. 
All  classes  of  various  denominations,  ministers 
and  people,  vied  with  each  other  in  showing 
their  tokens  of  respect  and  sympathy  during  his 
last  sickness.  There  was  a  humble,  unaffected 
goodness  about  him  which  drew  all  hearts  to- 
ward him.  His  attachment  to  his  family  wras 
a  marked  characteristic.  .  Sickness,  pain,  death 
could  not  quench  this  steady  flame.  Indeed, 
the  only  regret  he  manifested  at  approaching 
death  was,  that  it  would  take  him  from  his  dear 
children.  It  was  one  of  the  comforting  assur- 
ances of  his  declining  days  that  they  were  all 
the  followers  of  Jesus.  And  well  did  they  re- 
ciprocate his  love  by  their  tireless  ministrations 
day  and  night  during  his  sickness. 

It  only  remains  to  gather  up  a  few  of  the 
precious  words  which  fell  from  the  lips  of  our 
brother  as  he  "still  went  on  and  talked,"  catch- 
ing glimpses  of  the  heavenly  city  by  the  way, 
and  coming  up  at  last  to  the  mount  of  vision, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  159 

where  the  calm,  unclouded  glory  shone  steadily 
about  him.  The  arrangements  for  his  funeral 
and  burial  were  made  by  himself.  He  expressed 
a  desire,  if  it  were  God's  will,  to  visit  the  Con- 
ference once  more  and  see  his  brother  ministers. 
But  in  anticipation  that  he  might  not  be  able, 
he  said  to  me,  "Tell  the  Conference,  the  relig- 
ion I  have  preached  for  forty-five  years  sustains 
and  comforts  me  now.  I  love  my  brethren  in 
the  ministry.  I  expect  to  meet  them  in  heaven." 
During  a  visit,  one  month  before  his  depart- 
ure, as  we  were  about  to  offer  prayer,  we  sang, 

"I  would  not  live  alway;  I  ask  not  to  stay 
Where  storm  after  storm  rises  dark  o'er  the  way ; 
The  few  lurid  mornings  that  dawn  on  ns  here 
Are  enough  for  life's  joys,  full  enough  for  its  cheer. 

"I  would  not  live  alway  ;  no — welcome  the  tomb  1 
Since  Jesus  hath  lain  there  I  dread  not  its  gloom ; 
There  sweet  be  my  rest  till  he  bid  me  arise, 
To  hail  him  in  triumph  descending  the  skies." 

During  the  singing  his  whole  cpuntenance 
glowed  with  exultant  joy,  and  while  the  family 
wept,  he  shouted  aloud  the  praises  of  God.  At 
his  request,  about  three  weeks  before  his  end, 
several  ministers  of  his  own  and  other  Churches, 
together  with  the  family  physician,  met  to  join 
with  him  in  commemorating  the  suffering  and 
death  of  Jesus.  To  him  it  was  to  be  the  "  last 
supper."  His  three  daughters  were  present,  and 
one  of  his  sons  had  just  returned  from  the  army 


160  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

to  receive  the  last  blessing  of  a  dying  father, 
and  then  go  back  to  fight  for  humanity  and 
God.  The  desire  he  had  for  this  passover,.  the 
presence  of  his  brethren  and  family,  and  above 
all,  the  presence  of  the  Blaster,  inspired  him  with 
unwonted  strength.  In  a  peaceful,  happy  frame, 
he  said,  "  God's  grace  is  sufficient  for  me.  '  He 
wonderfully  sustains  me.  The  Gospel  which  I 
have  preached  for  forty-five  years  is  my  comfort 
and  support  now.  It  never  gave  me  more 
comfort.  I  have  no  doubt.  I  am  sometimes 
tempted,  but  not  overcome.  I  have  been  look- 
ing over  that  heavenly  country ;  it  looks  very 
pleasant  to  me.  Many  are  there  I  have  known 
and  loved.  I  expect  to  get  there  and  see  them. 
I  may  recover.  I  rather  think  I  shall.  I  have 
prayed  for  this,  but  I  have  asked  in  submission 
to  God's  will.  I  should  be  glad  to  stay  a  little 
longer  on  account  ^of  my  family.  They  have 
been  very  dear  to  me.  They  have  watched  over 
me  day  ami  night  during  my  sickness.  They 
have  twined  themselves  around  my  heart."  His 
emotions  overcame  him  for  awhile ;  then  he 
resumed,  '•  I  should  be  glad  to  stay  with  them, 
a  little  longer,  but  I  leave  it  all  to  God.  Tor 
me  to  live  is  Christ,  to  die  is  gain.'  I  have  had 
some  hard  fields  of  labor — long  rides,  streams  to 
ford,  mountains  to  cross.  I  have  suffered  from 
cold  and  hunger.  I  have  abounded  and  been  in 
want;  but  if  I  had  my  life  to  live  over  again,  I 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  161 

had  rather  be  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  than 
President  of  the  United  States."  These  and 
similar  sentences  were  uttered  at  intervals  as 
strength  would  admit.  As  he  was  unable  to 
kneel,  he  sat  in  his  easy  chair  during  the  sacra- 
mental services.  When  he  who  had  so  often 
ministered  it  to  others,  "  took  the  cup "  for  the 
last  time,  the  glory  within  him  broke  forth  in 
ascriptions  of  praise  to  Him  who  hath  loved  us, 
and  given  himself  for  us. 

Stiir  nearer  his  end  he  said,  "  I  have  just 
thought  what  a  glorious  place  heaven  is.  I 
have  listened  and  could  hear  the  angels  with 
their  golden  harps.  Such  heavenly  music  ! " 
His  voice  faltered.  He  was  overcome  by  his 
emotions.  Then  rallying,  he  continued,  "  How 
happy  shall  we  be  when  we  join  that  innumer- 
able throng,  where  they  fall  down  with  the  four 
and  twenty  elders,  and  worship  Him  that  sitteth 
upon  the  throne  for  ever  and  ever." 

On  Saturday  afternoon,  the  day  before  he 
died,  being  in  great  pain,  he  said,  "  I  cannot 
last  long ;  I  should  like  to  live  a  little  longer  on 
account  of  my  dear  children,  but  the  will  of  the 
Lord  be  done."  When  asked  if  his  trust  was 
strong  in  God,  "  Yes,"  he  answered  emphati- 
cally; "yes,  bless  the  Lord,  I  am  ready  to  go 
whenever  the  Lord  wills  it.  On  another  occa- 
sion he  said,  "  I  have  gained  a  great  victory,  I 
can  now  give  up  my  children  to  God."  Shortly 
11 


162  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

before  he  died, lie  repeated  several  times,  "Life's 
•work  is  done."  When  so  near  his  end  that  he 
could  not  speak,  he  pressed  the  hand  of  his 
daughter  as  a  token  of  recognition  and  victory. 
Yes,  sainted-  father,  life's  work  is  done,  and 
well  done.  All  its  conflicts  and  sufferings  are 
over.  On  Sabbath  morning,  the  day  on  which 
he  had  been  accustomed  to  go  to  the  house  of 
God.  his  liberated  spirit  took  its  flight  to  the 
temple  of  God  in  heaven,  and  while  earthly 
worshipers  crowded  sacred  altars  and  sang  of 
redeeming  love,  he  gazed  upon  the  glories  of 
the  Crucified  in  open  vision,  and  struck  the 
notes  of  that  sweet  anthem  which  shall  never 
end. 


JOSIAH  L.  DICKERSON. 

Josiah  L.  Dickerson  died  May  16,  1864,  in 
Spencertown,  Columbia  County,  N.  T.,  aged 
sixty-seven  years.  Our  deceased  brother  was 
born  January  20,  1797,  in  Newton,  Litchfield 
County.  Cong.  Left  at  an  early  age  without 
the  counsel  and  restraints  of  paternal  care, 
through  the  grace  of  God,  in  his  eighteenth 
year,  he  was  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  a  justi- 
fied state,  and  became  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  Bethlehem,  Litchfield 
County,  Conn. 

After  being  licensed  to  exhort,  the  Church, 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  163 

seeing  in  him  the  promise  of  greater  usefulness, 
gave  him  a  license  to  preach.  For  eighteen 
years  he  labored  as  a  Local  Preacher,  with  ac- 
ceptability and  usefulness,  in  his  native  county. 
In  1822  he  was  ordained  Deacon  by  Bishop 
Roberts,  and  in  1835  received  the  ordination  of 
Elder  at  the  hands  of  Bishop  Hedding,  at  which 
time  he  was  received  into  the  New  York  Con- 
ference, and  successively  filled  the  following 
appointments:  Kedding,  Weston  andNewtown, 
Norwalk,  Bedford,  Tarrytown  and  Pleasant- 
ville,  Cortlandt,  Pawlings,  Tyringham,  Shef- 
field, North  East,  Spencertown,  Tyringham, 
Egremont,  and  North  Hillsdale. 

His  health  failing  in  1857,  the  Conference 
granted  him  a  superannuated  relation,  in  which 
he  continued  until  the  close  of  life.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1862,  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis ;  from 
this  he  never  fully  recovered,  yet  was  comfort- 
able in  body,  retaining  his  mental  faculties.  On 
the  16th  of  May,  1864,  he  was  again  stricken 
with  the  same  disease ;  death  ensued  in  a  few 
hours.  Brother  Dickerson,  before  he  was  in- 
capacitated by  physical  weakness  or  prevented 
by  domestic  afflictions,  was  a  faithful,  and  con- 
sequently a  successful,  minister  of  the  Gospel. 
He  had  the  deportment  of  a  Christian  gentle- 
man;  was  sympathetic  and  kind  in  feeling;  of 
more  than  ordinary  ability  in  the  pulpit,  he  was 
well  fitted  to  win  and  retain  the  respect  of  the 


1G4  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

people  committed  to  his  charge,  and  instruct 
and  profit  them.  Amid  all  the  changes  and 
occasional  privations  attendant  upon  the  itiner- 
ancy, the  painful  bereavements  that  so  fre- 
quently thinned  the  family  circle,  the  weighty 
afflictions  that  befell  him  in  the  loss  of  health, 
laying  him  aside  from  the  active  work  of  the 
ministry,  he  did  not  murmur;  his  trust  was  in 
God.  From  the  manner  of  his  decease,  we  have 
no  death-bed  testimony  to  record.  We  need 
none.  In  the  calm  and  trusting  frame  of  mind 
he  possessed  before  the  fatal  stroke  was  per- 
mitted to  fall,  we  confidently  gather  proof  that 
he  has  entered  upon  the  reward  of  Christ's  faith- 
ful followers  in  heaven. 


RICHARD   SEAMAN. 

Richard  Seaman  was  born  April  28,  1785, 
and  died  Kov.  6,  1864,  aged  eighty.  When  a 
little  over  fourteen  he  left  the  home  of  his  child- 
hood, Herricks,  L.  I.,  and  came  to  ISTew  York, 
where  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  drug  store.  He 
immediately  commenced  the  study  of  medicine, 
and  when  about  nineteen  was  a  licensed  prac- 
ticing physician.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he 
was  appointed  resident  physician  of  the  alms- 
house.  This  early  entrance  upon  duties  so  re- 
sponsible was  fully  warranted  by  his  mature 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  165 

judgment  and  conscientious  devotion  to  his  pro- 
fession. In  the  fall  of  1812,  with  the  deliberation 
and  firmness  which  strongly  marked  his  charac- 
ter, he  resolved  to  devote  his  life  to  God's  service. 
From  this  time  his  professional  services  were 
rendered  doubly  valuable  by  the  solicitude  he 
continually  manifested  for  the  spiritual  welfare 
of  those  to  whose  bodily  maladies  he  admin- 
istered relief.  As  he  loved  his  profession  and 
pursued  it  diligently,  his  practice  became  large 
and  remunerative  ;  but  from  the  pressure  of  con- 
victions he  could  not  allay  he  was  impelled  to 
abandon  it  to  engage  in  the  duties  of  the  Chris- 
tian ministry.  In  1823  he  was  received  on  trial . 
in  the  NSw  York  Conference,  and  was  regularly 
appointed  to  different  fields  of  labor  for  twenty- 
two  years',  when,  in'  1845,  through  failure  of 
health,  he  was  obliged  to  take  a  superannuated 
relation.  He,  however,  continued  to  labor  faith- 
fully according  to  his  ability  and  opportunity 
until  entirely  disabled  by  disease.  Several  of 
the  Churches  in  the  upper  part  of  this  city  are 
largely  indebted  for  their  establishment  to  his 
self-sacrificing  labor  and  contributions.  Though 
not  wrealthy,  his  superior  judgment,  stern  in- 
tegrity, untiring  eifergy,  and  exact  business 
habits  made  his  name  a  guarantee  for  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  any  obligation  he  was  willing 
to  indorse.  Modest,  generous,  transparently 
true,  he  filled  every  sphere  in-  which  he  moved 


166  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

with  such  dignity  and  propriety  as  to  win  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him. 
His  preaching  was  eminently  evangelical  and 
practical,  and  was  thoroughly  imbued  with  his 
deep  personal  religious  experience.  During  the 
last  thirteen  years  he  was  a  great  sufferer.  His 
frame  was  tortured  with  rheumatism,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  use  crutches  in  walking;  but 
during  all  this  time,  as  he  frequently  and  joy- 
fully testified,  his  communion  with  God  was 
never  once  disturbed.  The  death  of  his  wife,  in. 
1861,  who  had  been  his  faithful  companion  for 
nearly  fifty  years,  severed  the  last  tie  which  at- 
tached him  to  this  world.  Being  asked,  soon 
after  that  event,  where  he  lived,  he  replied,  "  I 
board  with  my  nephew,  but  1  live  with  the 
Lord."  This  was  emphatically  true,  and  he 
only  awaited  patiently  his  translation.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1864-,  his  disease  increased  in  violence, 
and  as  he  saw  his  end  approaching  he  requested 
to  be  removed  to  the  home  of  his  only  brother, 
Mr.  S.  Seaman,  of  this  city,  where,  in  the  midst 
of  his  kindred,  who  loved  him  tenderly,  he 
gradually  grew  weaker  in  body,  but  more  and 
more  joyous,  until  he  passed  away  to  his  re- 
ward exclaiming,  "  O,  my  Saviour,  how  I  love 
thee ! " 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  167 

•  CHARLES  BURROUGHS. 

Charles  Burroughs  died  in  Hamden,  ~N.  Y., 
May  26,  1864,  aged  twenty-three.  At  an  early 
period  of  his  life  the  Holy  Spirit  had  wrought 
deeply  upon  him,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  in 
a  family  prayer-meeting  at  his  father's  house, 
he  gave  his  heart  to  God.  From  that  hour  he 
sought  to  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  his  Savioui 
in  all  things.  A  few  years  ago  he  began  to  feel 
that  God  was  calling  him  to  the  work  of  the 
Christian  ministry,  and  at  once  he  set  himself 
about  that  cultivation  of  heart  and  mind  which 
he  deemed  a  necessary  qualification  for  his  holy 
calling. 

At  the  session  of  the  New  York  Annual 
Conference  in  1864:  he  was  received  as  a  proba- 
tioner, and  stationed  at  Hamden.  He  went  to 
this,  his  first  appointment,  heavily  burdened 
under  a  sense  of  his  responsibilities,  and  many 
thought  that  his  untimely  death  resulted  from 
excessive  care  and  anxiety  lest  he  might  not 
succeed  in  this  new  and  untried  field,  of  labor. 
He  lived  to  preach  only  two  Sabbaths  to  his 
people ;  but  that  short  period  of  labor  secured 
to  him  their  strong  attachment,  and  to  this  day 
many  of  these  are  accustomed  to  say,  "  O  that 
Brother  Burroughs  could  have  lived  ! "  His 
pulpit  efforts  displayed  marked  ability,  and  gave 
great  promise  of  coming  iisef'ulness.  •  But  God 


168  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

• 

saw  fit  to  call  him  to  higher  scenes  of  action, 
and  after  an  illness  of  only  fourteen  days,  he 
fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 


JOHN  B.  HAGANY. 

John  B.  Hagany  was  born  in  the  city  of  Wil- 
mington, Del/,  on  the  26th  of  August,  in  the 
year  1808.  His  father  was  a  highly  respected, 
devout,  and  useful  Local  Preacher  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  The  son,  John  B., 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
about  the  year  1828,  and  was  received  on  trial 
in  the  Philadelphia  Annual  Conference  in  1831, 
and  appointed  to  Talbot  Circuit  in  Maryland. 
He  continued  in  the  active  ministry,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Philadelphia,  ISTew  York  East,  and 
Kew  York  Conference,  until  his  death  in  the 
summer  of  1865.  His  pastoral  life  presents  ah 
unbroken  career  of  thirty-four  years,  during 
which  he  rendered  with  brief  and  infrequent 
vacations  the  most  efficient  service  to  the  Church 
in  many  of  her  more  prominent  positions.  No 
man  among  us  was  more  uniformly  acceptable 
to  the  people,  or  retained  to  the  last  a  more 
controlling  power  in  the  pulpit.  He  wore  well. 
His  ministrations,  instead  of  diminishing  in 
force  and  attractiveness,  cumulated  with  advan- 
cing years  into  a  greater  depth,  breadth,  and 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  1G9 

richness.  Endowed  by  nature  with  a  strong 
and  quick  intellect,  he  had,  by  diligent  study, 
judicious  reading,  and  close  observation,  ac- 
quired no  ordinary  degree  of  mental  culture. 
In  the  English  classics  he  was  thoroughly  read, 
and  from  his  familiarity  with  them  he  derived 
not  only  the  fullness  of  information  always  at 
his  command,  but  also  the  nervous,  apt,  and 
elegant  use  of  language  which  marvelously  dis- 
tinguished both  his  extemporaneous  and  written 
compositions. 

Dr.  Hagany  was  not  a  universal  scholar ;  but 
although  his  range  of  studies  was  limited,  he 
mastered  what  he  undertook,  and  consequently 
positiveness  of  conviction  marked  his  opinions 
and  utterances.  In  theology  he  devoted  him- 
self mostly  to  the  old  English  divines  and  to 
John  Wesley.  It  may  be  safely  affirmed  that 
the  great  founder  of  Methodism  had  no  more 
enthusiastic  student  and  lover  on  the  American 
continent  than  the  subject  of  this  memoir.  He 
had  read  and  inwardly  digested  every  thing 
which  that  wise  and  good  man  had  left  on  rec- 
ord, and  by  habitual  communion  had  become 
fully  imbued  with  his  spirit,  ideas,  and  method. 
He  comprehended  Wesleyanism — its  history, 
doctrines,  polity — and  could  define,  defend,  and 
preach  it  with  a  skill  rare  and  admirable,  and 
with  a  success  amply  attested  by  the  precious 
results  of  a  long  and  honored  ministry. 


170  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

As  a  preacher,  Dr.  Hagany  possessed  the  ad- 
vantage of  a  fine  physique,  a  voice  of  extraor- 
dinary compass  and  sweetness,  and  of  a  quiet 
self-poise  which  always  rendered  him  a  most 
agreeable  and  captivating  speaker.  His  au- 
dience was  put  perfectly  at  ease  while  he  dis- 
coursed to  them  on  the  grand  themes  of  the 
Gospel  in  thoughts  so  fresh  and  striking,  and  in 
words  so  terse  and  chaste,  as  to  make  his  in- 
structions both  entertaining  and  impressive.  A 
pure  imagination  wove  the  facts  of  a  retentive 
memory  and  the  perceptions  of  a  ripe  under- 
standing into  ever-varying  forms,  which,  by  their 
fidelity  to  nature,  simplified  and  illuminated  his 
subjects  so  as  to  render  them  a  charm  to  all  who 
listened.  His  sermons  were  rarely  thrilling,  but 
always  pleasing,  and  occasionally  overwhelm- 
ingly emotional.  Sometimes  his  pathos  would 
melt  and  fuse  the  hearts  of  an  entire  congrega- 
tion into  one  stream  of  holy  ecstasy  and  love. 

But  those  who  knew  this  excellent  servant  of 
God  most  intimately  will  cherish  not  more  the 
recollection  of  his  public  services  than  the  mem- 
ory of  his  private  walk.  He  was  a  devout  and 
earnest  Christian,  without  the  ostentation^  of  su- 
perior piety.  Endued  with  refined  sensibilities, 
with  a  keen-  sense  of  personal  honor,  he  was 
slow  to  admit  strangers  to  his  heart,  and,  there- 
fore, to  many  seemed  cold  and  reserved  ;  but 
when  once  he  found  a  man  worthy  his  confi- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  171 

denee  he  hesitated  not  to  lavish  all  his  affections 
upon  him,  and  could  neither  speak  too  highly 
in  his  praise,  nor  be  too  frequently  in  his  com- 
pany. And  it  was  necessary  to  see  him  in  a 
group  of  such  friends  to  understand  and  appre- 
ciate his  character  fully.  There  he  shone  the 
brightest;  as  a  companion  one  of  the  pleasant- 
est,  and  as  a  conversationalist  racy  and  spark- 
ling, with  an  apt  allusion  or  anecdote  to  point 
each  thought,  his  whole  talk  suffused  and  suf- 
fusing others  with  an  innocent  and  irresistible 
mirthfulness.  In  the  gush  and  flow  of  compan- 
ionship, however,  he  never  forgot  or  forsook  the 
dignity  of  the  minister,  nor  failed  to  manifest 
and  maintain  toward  serious  subjects  the  rev- 
erence-which  is  their  due. 

Of  late  Dr.  Hagany  had  often  alluded  to 
dying  in  the  hearing  of  his  friends ;  but  so 
habitually  cheerful  was1  his  temper,  and  appar- 
ently perfect  his  health,  that  little  account  was 
taken  of  it.  He  preached  on  Sunday,  June  25, 
1865,  to  his  congregation  on  "  Let  me  die  the 
death  of  the  righteous,  .and  let  my  last  end  be 
like  his."  The  subject  so  enlarged  upon  him 
that  he  postponed  a  part  of  it  to  the  evening, 
but  because  of  sickness  was  unable  to  preach. 
He  spent  Tuesday  following  in  an  agreeable 
visit  'with  his  friend,  Rev.  J.  B.  Wakeley,  at 
Yonkers.  On  Wednesday  he  was  feeling  more 
comfortable,  and  in  the  afternoon,  while  reading 


172  SACKED  MEMOKIES. 

Mr.  Wesley's  Journal,  he  met  a  passage  refer- 
ring to  Mr.  Jeremiah  Seed's  Sermons.  He  got 
a  volume  of  the  "  Works,"  found  the  passage, 
called  his  wife's  attention  to  it,  and  began  to 
read  aloud,  when  suddenly  he  was  seized  with 
spasm  of  the  heart,  the  book  dropped  from  his 
hand,  he  fell  forward,  and  almost  instantly  ex- 
pired. u  He  was  not,  for  God  took  him."  "  He 
ceased  at  once  to  work  and  live." 


JOHN  A.  SILLICK. 

John  A.  Sillick  was  born  in  Saratoga,  K.  Y., 
May  21,  1805,  and  died  at  his  residence  in  ^ew 
York,  Jul}"  10,  1865,  aged  sixty.  He  experi- 
enced religion  at  the  age  of  twelve,  but  leaving 
home  to  learn  a  trade  about  that  time,  and 
being  constantly  associated  writh  those  who 
made  no  profession  of  religion,  he  lost  his  re- 
ligions comfort,  and  soon  gave  up  all  pretensions 
to  piety.  When  about  twenty-four  he  visited 
his  father,  Rev.  Bradley  Sillick,  who  was  then 
engaged  in  a  revival  meeting.  He  returned 
from  that  visit  powerfully  awakened,  and  began 
at  once  to  seek  for  a  restoration  of  the  divine 
favor.  The  struggle  was  an  earnest  one,  and 
while  at  work,  tears  streaming  from  his  eyes, 
and  just  ready  to  give  up  all  hope  of  mercy, 
faith  took  hold  of  the  Saviour,  and  light  broke 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  173 

upon  his  darkened  mind.  With  a  bounding 
heart,  he  ran  to  tell  his  shopmates  what  God 
had  done  for  his  soul.  Soon  after  he  felt  called 
of  God  to  the  ministry,  for  which  he  felt  him- 
self entirely  incompetent.  Expressing  his  con- 
victions, his  'employer,  an  unconverted  man, 
tried  to  dissuade  him,  and  offered  him  the  en- 
tire control  of  the  shop.  He  accepted  the  posi- 
tion, but  soon  after  he  was  disabled  by  an  accf- 
dent,  and  for  a  time  obliged  to  stop  work.  This 
providential  circumstance,  as  he  regarded  it,  led 
him  to  the  conclusion  that  he  ought  to  obey 
God  rather  than  man,  and  he  began  to  prepare 
for  the  ministry.  He  spent  two  years  at  the 
Wilbraham  Academy,  and  about  two  years  at 
the  Wesleyan  University. 

In  1834  he  joined  the  New  York  Conference, 
and  was  stationed  on  Burlington  Circuit.  He 
remained  in  the  ]Srew  York  Conference  till  it 
was  divided  in  1848,  when,  by  the  division,  he 
fell  in  the  New  York  East  Conference.  In  1854 
he  was  transferred  to  the  New  York  Conference, 
and  continued  his  effective  labors  till  1861,  when 
he  took  a  superannuated  relation,  and  settled  at 
Yorkville,  New  York  city.  He  was  twenty- 
seven  years  an  effective  minister,  laboring  with 
acceptability  and  success  on  his  charges,  some 
of  which  were  laborious,  and  four  years  he  was 
superannuated. 

For  years  he  was   afflicted   with  dyspepsia, 


174  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

which  affected  not  only  his  physical,  but  at 
times,  more  or  less,  his  intellectual  powers.  In 
May  last  he  was  confined  to  his  room  ;  but  his 
mind  was  composed,  and  for  the  time  being  he 
seemed  very  happy.  Indeed,  the  last  Sabbath 
in  May  was  to  him  and  his  family  a  memorable 
Sabbath.  During  the  day  we  entered  his  room 
and  found  him  weeping.  After  a  little  he  said, 
'*•!  am  no  worse;  I  am  happy  ;  I  have  just  ob- 
tained a  great  victory."  But  as  his  disease  con- 
tinued^  to  wear  upon  him  he  became  more  or 
less  mentally  deranged,  and  seemed  doubtful 

v  O  / 

and  despondent  till  his  death.  Those  who  knew 
him  best,  and  those  who  saw  him  frequently  dur- 
ing his  last  days,  can  only  believe  that  he  is  at 
r^st  in  that  world  where  physical  disease  will 
never  more  disturb  his  intellectual  powers  or 
the  ';  peace  profound  which  his  unfettered  soul 
enjoys."  He  was  a  kind,  generous,  companion- 
able man,  a  good  preacher,  practical,  cntertai* 
ing,  and  instructive,  and  no  doubt  many  spirit 
ual  children  will  be  stars  in  his  crown  of  re- 
joicing. 

LEYERETT  GOODRICH  ROMAINE. 

Leverett  Goodrich  Romaine  was  born  in 
Maryland,  Otsego  County,  K  Y.,  April  .12, 
ISiO.  His  educational  advantages  were  good 

o  o 

and  well  improved.     He  was  blessed  with  the 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  175 

pious  counsels  and  careful  training  of  the  late 
venerable  Dr.  Nott.  These,  under  God,  fixed 
his  habits  of  thought  and  of  life,  and  pointed  to 
a  future  of  great  usefulness  in  the  Church  of 
Christ.  He  was  converted  at  Hudson-street, 
Albany,  undei  the  pastoral  labors  of  Rev.  B.  O. 
Meeker.  His  religious  experience  was  clear, 
and  continued  satisfactory  to  the  last.  When 
called  to  preach  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the  Son* 

of  God  he  entered  earnestlv  upon  the  work,  and 

''  *  t 

his  Master  crowned  his  labors  and  gave  him 

souls  as  seals  to  his  ministry.  In  1863  he  was 
employed  as  assistant  to  Rev.  C.  W.  Lyon  011 
West  Point  Charge,  then  embracing  West  Point, 
Buttermilk  Falls,  and  Fort  Montgomery.  His 
history  in  New  York  Conference  is  very  brief. 
At  its  session  in  1864  he  was  received  on  trial. 
It  is  no  trifling  tribute  to  his  worth  when  we 
say  that  his  standing  was  favorable  in  the  class 
of  promising  young  men  received  at  that  ses- 
sion. His  first  appointment  was  Glenham,  on 
the  Poughkeepsie  District ;  but  during  the  year 
he  was  appointed  to  Cannon-street,  Poughkeep- 
sie, a  vacancy  having  occurred  by  the  removal 
of  Brother  M'Lean  to  Lexington  Avenue,  New 
York  city.  In  the  sprii^  of  1865  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  Southfield,  on  Newburgh  District, 
and  then,  on  the  third  of  November,  without  a 
moment's  warning,  by  a  collision  on  the  Erie 
Railroad,  his  life  and  labors  closed.  He  leaves 
* 


176  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

no  dying  teetimony  upon  which  we  may  dwell 
and  over  which  we  may  at  the  same  time  weep 
and  rejoice.  The  record  of  a  short  life  well 
spent  is  all  that  we  have,  and,  thank  God!  all 
that  we,  in  the  light  of  holy  truth,  can  ask.  A 
widow  and  an  infant  daughter  survive  him,  cher- 
ishing his  memory,  and  resting  in  the  promises 
which  God  has  given  especially  to  the  widow 
*and  the  fatherless. 


JOSEPH   T.   HAND. 

Joseph  T.  Hand  was  born  June  26, 1838,  near 
Centreville,  Queen  Anne  County,  Md.  He  de- 
parted this  life  at  Washingtonville,  Jan  20,  1867, 
aged  28  years.  In  the  autumn  of  1855  he  was 
soundly  converted,  after  a  struggle  of  more  than 
a  year.  How  often  God  tries  those  he  intends 
for  a  special  work!  He  immediately  united 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  very 
soon  began  to  be  exercised  about  his  duty  to 
preach  the  Gospel.  In  1858  he  was  licensed  to 
exhort.  In  this  office  he  .exercised  his  gifts 
until  June  16,  1860,  when  he  received  license  to 
preach.  In  1862  he  jtas  recommended  to  the 
Philadelphia  Conference  as  a  suitable  candidate 
for  the  work  of  the  ministry ;  but  feeling  a  strong 
thirst  for  knowledge,  and  the  necessity  of  a 
more  thorough  preparation  for  his  great  work, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  *  177 

he  withdrew  his  application  and  entered  himself 
a  student  of  the  Concord  Biblical  Institute. 
Here  he  remained  three  years,  and  graduated 
with  great  honor.  While  a  student  at  Concord 
he  supplied  a  church  at  Chester,  1ST.  PI.  Before 
going  to  Concord  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Local  Preachers'  Association,  Eastern  District, 
Philadelphia  Conference. 

He  was  elected  Deacon  at  the  close  of  his  the- 
ological studies  by  the  New  Hampshire  Confer- 
ence, and  ordained,  April  16,  1865.  In  the  same 
month  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  New 
York  Conference,  and  appointed  to  the  Monroe 
Circuit.  Here  he  labored  with  great  accepta- 
bility and  usefulness,  together  with  his  colleague, 
Rev.  U.  Messiter.  At  the  session  of  the  New 
York  Conference  of  1866,  Monroe  Circuit  was 
divided,  the  Churches  at  Washingtonville  and 
Craigville  being  made  a  separate  appointment. 
Brother  Hand  was  placed  in  charge.  Here, 
brought  into  more  direct  contact  with  the  peo- 
ple, his  earnest  and  affectionate  efforts  for  their 
good  won  him  increasing  confidence  and  love. 
About  forty,  the  fruits  of  a  former  revival,  were 
this  year  admitted  by  him  into  full  fellowship 
with  the  Church. 

His  last  sermon  was  preached  Jan.  6th.     He 
came  home  complaining  of  headache.     Soon  his 
disease  assumed  a  typhoid' form,  and   in  thir- 
teen days  the  stout,  vigorous,  youthful  form  of 
12 


ITS  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

.Brother  Hand  fell,  a  "dissolving  tabernacle." 
During  the  forepart  of  his  sickness  the  mind 
was  mostly  undisturbed.  In  the  latter  part, 
when  reason  wandered,  there  were  still  lucid 
moments  until  near  the  last.  Early  in  his  ill- 
ness he  said  to  his  friends,  "  I  think  this  is  my 
last  sickness."  He  gave  directions  for  the  dis- 
position of  his  papers,  and  for  the  adjusting  of 
his  accounts.  He  requested  that  his  already 
bereaved  and  stricken  father  might  not  be  in- 
formed of  his  illness  until  his  recovery  or  death, 
as  he  was  too  distant  and  feeble  to  visit  him. 
He  expressed  a  submissive  desire  to  live  and  do 
something  for  his  Master.  When  reason  reeled 
from  the  throne,  he  was  almost  constantly  en- 
gaged in  singing,  prayer,  exhortation,  or  preach- 
ing. He  fancied  himself  conducting  a  religious 
meeting — prayed  himself,  called  on  those  about 
him  to  pray,  and  eluded  their  delay.  At  one 
time  he  sang,  with  a  loud,  clear  tone  of  voice, 

"A  chnr<re  to  keep  I  have, 

A  God  to  glorify — 
A  never-dying  soul  to  save, 

And  fit  it  for  the  sky," 

and  then  delivered  an  impressive  exhortation 
on  the  atonement.  When  reascfh  returned, 
gleaming  through  the  clouds  of  the  vale,  he  ex- 
pressed his  readiness  to  die.  The  Sunday  before 
his  end,  on  being  asked  how  he  felt,  he  replied, 
"  I  feel  well,  for  I  have  the  victory  over  death." 


•  SACKED  MEMORIES.  179 

"l  Jim  a  Christian  and  all  is  well*  Christ  is 
precio  •«* — very  precious"  strongly  emphasizing 
these  last  words.  Saturday  night  he -said  "I 
long  to  be  at  rest.1'  On  Sunday  noon,  on  being 
asked  to  take»his  medicine,  he  said,  "  He  will 
be  with  us  in  the  trying  hour  and  article  of 
death."  After  this  nature  was  too  weak  for 
utterance.  The  words  "  conflict "  and  "  most " 
were  faintly  distinguished.  Then  the  eye  kin- 
dled with  that  flame  so  common  to  the  dying 
saint,  and  a  slight  pressure  of  the  hand,  just  as 
the  waves  of  Jordan  broke  over  him,  seemed  to 
say,  u  Adieu,  all  is  well." 

Brother  Hand  was  of  robust  constitution. 
The  deceptive  promise  of  many  years  was  writ- 
ten there.  He  was  possessed  of  a  good  and  well- 
cultivated  intellect,  and  a  warm,  generous  heart. 
He  was  a  diligent  student,  and  ambitious  to  ex- 
cel in  his  great  work.  Modest,  yet  manly, 
his  was  the  artlessness  of  the  child,  the  gentle- 
ness of  the  Christian,  and  the  easy  dignity  of  the 
minister.  He  was  earnest  and  faithful  in  his 
work,  more  ambitious  of  success  than  reputation. 
The  peoplejoved  him,  and  thronged  the  church 
at  his  funeral.  Kind  friends  ministered  to  his 
wants  while  sick,  and  then,  though  distance 
and  infirmities  prevented  the  attendance  of  rel- 
atives, the  flock  buried  the  almost  youthful  shep- 
herd in  their  midst,  sorrowing  that  they  should 
see  his  face  no  more. 


180  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

"WALTER  D.  TELFORD. 

Walter  D.  Telford  was  born  January  15, 1830, 
and  departed  this  life  March  30th,  1867.  In 
October,  1857,  he  heard  a  sermon  preached  by 

Kev.  Wm.  Hall,  from  the  text,  "Friend,  how 

i   ' 

earnest  thou  in  hither,  not  having' on  the  wed- 
ding garment  ? "  At  its  close  he  remarked, 
"  Did  you  ever  hear  such  a  sermon  ?  it  went  all 
through  me — it  was  all  applicable  to  me." 

Being  convinced  of  his  need  of  salvation,  he 
tarried  to  enjoy  the  class  meeting,  in  which  he 
spake  of  his  sinful  state,  and  asked  for  an  in- 
terest in  the  prayers  of  the  children  of  God. 
His  next  meeting  with  God's  people  was  in  the 
house  of  prayer.  Here  he  kneeled  as  a  hum- 
ble penitent  before  the  throne  of  grace.  While 
bowed  down  in  body  and  in  spirit,  the  Holy 
Ghost  inspired  him  to  pray.  He  was  obedient. 
He  prayed,  he  believed,  and,  trusting  in  Christ 
as  his  Saviour,  he  found  peace  for  his  troubled 
heart.  His  conversion  was  clear,  marked,  and 
genuine.  He  now  learned  what  he  never  knew 
or  felt  before,  that  Jesus  was  a  Saviour  for  all 
who  would  believe  on  his  name.  In  the  strength 
of  his  new  Master  he  began  the  Christian  life. 
He  had  but  one  great  object  before  him — that 
was,  to  grow  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth,  that  he  might  enjof  the  favor  of  God 
on  earth  and  his  glorious  presence  forever  in 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  181 

heaven.  With  such  a  purpose  he  began  to  con- 
tend for  the  faith. 

Many -were  his  trials  and  conflicts  with  the 
enemy,  but  through  the  grace  of  God  lie  came 
off  more  than  conqueror.  Through  them,  and 
by  the  grace  he  received,  he  was  being  prepared 
for  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry,  to  which 
he  was  called  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  1863  he 
was  received  as  a  probationer  in  the  New  York 
Conference,  and  was  appointed  the  same  year 
to  the  North  Franklin  Circuit.  On  this  charge 
he  labored  hard  and  with  great  acceptability. 
He  made  fnll  proof  of  his  ministry.  In  1865  he 
was  sent  to  the  Margaretsville  Circuit.  He  be- 
gan his  labor  with  great  zeal,  and  with  untiring 
energy  and  devotion  he  labored  to  build  up  the 
Church  of  Christ,  and  to  lead  sinners  to  the 
Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world.  Nor  were  his  labors  in  vain.  He  saw 
the  Church  prospering  and  strengthened,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  under  his  unwearied  toil. 

On  this  circuit,  while  engaged  in  his  work, 
he-.was  stricken  down  by  disease,  which,  from 
its  beginning,  assumed  a  malignant  and  danger- 
ous character.  Fully  conscious  of  his  danger, 
he  expressed  a  willingness  to  depart  and  be 
with  Christ,  which  was  far  better.  The  power 
of  grace  in  a  sick  and  dying  hour  he  fully  real- 
ized. His  death  was  not  only  peaceful,  but  tri- 
umphant. Conversing  with  his  wife  about  hia 


182  SACRED  MEMOEIES. 

change,  he  asked,  "  Mary,  why  do  you  weep  2 
How  inconsistent  to  do  so.  If  I  were  well  you 
would  rejoice.  ]STow  I  am  going  home  to  die 
no  more.  How  inconsistent  to  weep  !  "  While- 
friends  were  waiting  round,  ministering  to  his 
wants,  and  listening  to  his  soul-stirring  utter- 
ances, he  raised  his  eyes  toward  heaven,  and 
lifting  his  feeble  hand,  he  waved  it  three  times 
in  token  of  triumph,  shouting  as  he  waved  it, 
"  Victory  !  victory  !  eternal  victory  !  "  empha- 
sizing "  eternal  victory "  as  only  a  soldier  of 
Jesus  Christ  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  enjoying 
the  fruits  of  victory,  could  give  it  emphasis.  In 
this  holy  triumph  he  passed  away. 

His  last  sermon  in  the  church  was  preached 
from  the  text,  "  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from 
the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me."  It  will 
be  remembered,  for  it  was  delivered  in  power ; 
God  was  in  it.  The  Sabbath  before  his  death 
was  his  last  quarterly  meeting.  He  feared  that 
he  might  not  live  to  see  it.  He  wished  once 
more  to  commemorate  the  feast  of  dying  love 
with  his  brethren.  He  lived  to  enjoy  it,  and  to 
him  it  was  a  feast  of  fat  things.  His  Conference 
Bermon,  in  course  of  preparation,  was  founded 
on  the  text,  "  How  shall  we  escape  if  we  neg- 
lect so  great  salvation  ?"  It  may  be  called  his 
masterpiece,  though  unfinished. 

Brother  Telford,  as  a  man,  was  courteous, 
kind,  and  companionable — a  true  friend,  always- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  183 

ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand.  As  a  Christian, 
he  was  faithful  and  honest,  living  only  to  serve 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  as  a  minister,  he  was 
earnest,  devoted,  and  untiring  in  his  work.  He 
lived  for  the  cause  of  Jesus — "  he  died  at  his 
post."  He  has  gone  ;  his  spirit  rests  with  God. 
His  voice  is  -now  engaged  irr  chanting  the  an- 
them of  the  skies  in  chorus  with  that  innumera- 
ble throng  which  came  out  of  great  tribulation, 
and  have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 


REUBEN  H.  BLOOMER. 

Reuben  H.  Bloomer  was  born  in  ISTewburgh, 
Orange  County*  K.  Y.,  December  6,  1806,  and 
died  near  the  .place  of  his  birth  June  1,  1866. 
He  was  converted  to  God  in  the  twenty-third 
year  of  his  age,  under  the  ministry  of  Rev. 
Stephen  L.  Stillman. 

After  his  conversion  he  felt  an  ardent  desire 
to  do  good,  aifd  soon  became  an  active  laborer 
in  the  Church.  He  also  engaged  in  school 
teaching,  in  which  employment  he  spent  sev- 
eral years,  at  the  same  time  pursuing  a  course 

•^ 

of  reading  preparatory  to  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry. In  1834  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and 
was  soon  after  employed  by  Rev.  M.  Richard- 
eon,  Presiding  Elder  of  Kewburgh  District,  on 


184:  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

Sullivan  Circuit.  In  1835  he  was  received  on 
trial  by  the  New  York  Conference,  and  in  due 
time  graduated  to  Deacons'  and  Elders'  orders. 
Tie  labored  with  acceptance  and  success  on  Jef- 
ferson, Prattsville,  Kortright,  Franklin,  Jeffer- 
son, Catskill,  Durham,  Coeymans.  and  Sauger- 
ties  charges.  In  1847  his  health  failed,  and  in 
1848  he  received  from  the  Conference  a  super- 
numerary relation,  and  was  returned  first  to 
North  Xewburgh,  then  to  Rossville,  and  then 
to  Galeville,  still  continuing  to  preach  as  he  was 
able,  and  doing  very  effective  work,  especially 
at  Galeville,  where  he  labored  hard  to  organize 
a  society  and  build  a  church.  Just  as  the  work 
was  completed,  and  a  revival  of  religion  com- 
menced, his  health  utterly  failed,  and  he  was 
compelled,  though  reluctantly,  to  leave  the  work 
he  loved  so  well  for  others  to  prosecute.  From 
1857  to  1866  he  was  superannuated.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1856,  he  became  connected  with  the 
press  as  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Newburgh 
Times,  devoted  especially  to  the  temperance 
cause,  and  continued  his  connection  with  it  un- 
til his  death.  In  his  hands  the  paper  became  a 
success. 

He  was  a  man  of  great  energy  of  character, 
and  although  an  invalid,  preferred  to  labor  be- 
yond his  ability  rather  than  be  dependent  for 
support  upon  the  funds  of  the  Conference.  In 
whatever  station  Providence  placed  him  he  en- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  185 

deavored  to  be  content,  and  to  do  good  to  the 
full  extent  of  his  ability.  He  was  ardently  at- 
tached to  the  doctrines  and  discipline  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  deeply  inter- 
ested in  every  thing  that  related  to  her  welfare. 
The  ministers  appointed  to  North  Newburgh 
found  him  to  be  a  safe  counselor  and  a  sympa- 
thizing friend,  and  the  official  members  could 
rely  upon  his  aid  in  their  efforts  to  promote  the 
interests  of  the  Church.  He  was  a  warm  friend 
of  the  Sabbath-school.  He  loved  the  means  of 
grace,  and  faithfully  attended  them.  Pie  was  a 
man  of  strong  and  decided  convictions,  but  hon- 
orable and  upright.  As  a  friend,  he  was  genial 
and  faithful ;  as  a  husband  and  father,  he  was 
kind  and  affectionate ;  as  a  Christian,  he  was 
uniformly  humble,  earnest,  and  devout — a  lover 
of  peace,  and  a  peace-maker.  He  was  an  able 
preacher,  sound  in  theology,  clear  and  forcible 
in  his  arguments,  and  apt  in  his  illustrations; 
simple  in  his  manner,  pathetic  in  spirit,  a 
workman  approved  of  God,  and  instrumental  in 
winning  many  souls  to  Christ.  Bnt  he  has  left 
us.  He  rests  from  his  labors  and  sufferings. 
He  was  afflicted  with  the  asthma  for  many 
years,  but  was  cut  down  by  paralysis  as  in  a 
moment.  We  have  no  direct  dying  testi- 
mony, and  we  need  none,  for  a  life  devoted 
to  God  and  the  welfare  of  his  fellow-men 
affords  the  best  assurance  that  he  was  ready  to 


186  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

meet  the  last  enemy.     He  died  as  calmly  as  the 
summer  sun  sunk  to  rest,  and  at  the  hour  of  its 

setting. 


THOMAS  E.  FERO. 

Thomas  E.  Fero  was  born  in  Broome,  Scho- 
harie  County,  N.  Y.,  November  20,  1826,  and 
died  at  Mount  Kisco,  N.  Y.,  September  2, 
1866. 

In  December,  1853,  he  was  found,  a  tearful 
penitent,  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  on  Christ- 
mas eve  his  struggling  soul  found  rest.  He 
immediately  united  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  soon  after  received  license  to 
preach.  *  In  1855  he  joined  the  New  York  Con- 
ference, and  entered  zealously  upon  his  chosen 
work.  He  abandoned  a  pleasant  home,  and 
dashed  aside  his  brightest  earthly  prospects,  for 
the  sake  of  Jesus  and  the  love  of  souls.  In 
seven  different  appointments  he  toiled  for  the 
Master,  and  through  the  ever-varying  scenes  of 
his  ministry  evinced  an  .unfaltering  devotion  to 
Zion.  He  loved  his  work,  and  performed  it  as. 
one  expecting  to  give  an  account  of  his  steward- 
ship. His  ministry  was  brief  but  successful, 
and  the  crown  upon  his  brow  is  not  starless. 

As  a  man,  he  was  affable  in  spirit,  loyal  to 
truth,  and  possessed  those  genial  and  compan- 
ionable qualities  that  sweetly  charm  the  social 


SACKED  MEMOEIES.  187 

heart ;  as  a  pastor,  he  was  laborious  and  dili- 
gent,, reclaiming  the  wandering,  encouraging 
the  faltering,  and  leading  the  desponding  soul 
to  a  loftier  faith  in  God  ;  as  a  preacher,  he  was 
acceptable  and  useful.  He  carefully  studied 
and  clearly  expounded  the  word  of  truth,  and 
closely  applied  it  to  the  conscience  of  his  audi- 
tors. His  gentle,  pleasing  tones  of  voice,  hi? 
calm,  cheerful  countenance,  his  generous,  sym- 
pathetic nature,  and  winning  spirit,  all  conspired 
to  increase  his  pulpit  power,  and  secure  respect 
and  love. 

In  November,  1865,  consumption  laid  its  wan 
hand  upon  him,  and  in  less,  than  one  fleeting 
year  triumphed  over  all  medical  skill,  and  bore 
him  to  the  tomb. 

Animated  by  a  constant  hopefulness  of  spirit, 
he  repelled  the  idea  of  permanent  disability,  and 
cherished  the  fond  hope  of  rendering  the  Church 
more  useful  service  in  the  future.  He  ardently 
coveted  life,  that  he  might  the  more  successfully 
lead  men  to  the  cross  and  to  heaven.  Bravely 
did  he  battle  with  thje  destroyer,  and  yielded 
only  when  the  uselessness  of  further  resistance 
flashed  upon  his  mind.  Then,  no  longer  in- 
spired by  the  hope  of  recovery,  he  rapidly  de- 
clined, and  soon  the  dashing  billows  broke  over 
him,  and  gently  wafted  him  to  the  sunny  banks 
of  heaven. 
*  The  closing  scene  was  peaceful  and  tri- 


188  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

nmphant.     His  weeping  family  were  summoned 
around  him,  and  at  his  request  sang  his  favorite 

hymn  : 

"My  latest  sun  is  sinking  fast, 

My  race  is  almost  run  ; 
My  greatest  trials  now  are  past, 

My  triumph  is  begun." 

Then,  amid  those  sweet,  soothing  strains, 
bidding  his  loved  ones  farewell,  his  dying  eye 
seemed  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  angelic  forms,  and 
exclaiming,  "  The  angels  welcome  me  home!" 
he  sank  away,  and  expired  without  a  struggle. 


JAMES  WHEELER  BREAKEY. 

James  Wheeler  Breakey  was  the  son  of  pious 
parents,  and  a  native  of  Bethel,  Sullivan  Coun- 
ty, JX".  Y.  From  his  early  childhood  he  was 
noted  as  being  a  very  thoughtful  boy.  He  be- 
came a  very  studious  youth.  Being  the  son  of 
an  industrious  farmer,  he  often  took  his  books 
with  him  into  the  field^,  and  devoted  his  spare 
hours  to  close  application  to  study.  He  read 
not  for  the  mere  purpose  of  reading,  but  to  gain 
and  treasure  up  knowledge  for  future  use.  He 
trained  himself  to  think,  and  became  the  lead- 
ing mind  in  the  circle  of  his  youthful  associa- 
tions. 

He  was  converted,  at  a  camp-meeting  held  itf 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  189 

his  native  county,  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  his 
age,  and  immediately  joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Hnrd  Settlement,  in  his  native 
town.  From  this  time  until  he  joined  the  New 
York,  Conference,  a  period  of  ten  years,  most  of 
his  time  was  employed  in  close  application  to 
study  and  teaching.  As  a  teacher,  he  was  thor- 
ough. Many  of  his  pupils  bear  an  honorable 
and  affectionate  testimony  to  his  faithfulness, 
and  the  deep  interest  lie  manifested  in  those 
committed  to  his  care.  During  the  two  years 
previous  to  his  entrance  upoff  the  active  duties 
of  the  Christian  ministry  he  was  the  principal  of 
the  Monticello  Seminary,  located  at  Monticello. 
By  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  Monticello 
he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  soon  after,  by 
the  same  Quarterly  Conference,  he  was  recom- 
mended to  the  Conference.  He  was  received 
on  probation  in  the  New  York  Conference  in 
the  spring  of  1858.  His  first  appointment  was 
to  the  Colchester  Circuit,  Monticello  District. 
Here  he  made  many  friends,  and  did  good  serv- 
ice to  the  Church.  His  s'econd  appointment  was 
to  the  Equinunk  Charge,  Wayne  County,  Pa. 
Here,  during  his  ministerial  term,  a  parsonage 
was  built,  many  souls  were  converted,  and  the 
Church  prospered.  The  next  appointment  com- 
mitted to  his  care  was  MiddletoWn,  Orange 
County,  at  a  very  critical  period  in  the  history 
of  the  Church.  He  met  the  crisis,  and  accom- 


190  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

plished  the  special  mission  he  was  desired  to,  by 
the  authorities  of  the  Church,  in  a  most  discreet 
and  skillful  manner.  He  was  then  appointed, 
to  Ellenville,  Ulster  County,  the  first  charge  on 
the  district.  Here  he  remained  the  full  Jime 
allowed  by  the  Discipline,  and  was  successful  in 
his  work,  and  greatly  beloved  by  the  people. 
His  next  appointment  was  Montgomery,  Orange 
County,  where  his  memory  is  precious.  His 
last  appointment  was  at  Coxsackie,  Greene  Coun- 
ty, where  he  had  labored  with  success,  and  had 
done  the  Church  '£reat  service.  The  Church 
edifice  had  been  remodeled,  enlarged,  improved, 
and  beautified  during  the  second  year  of  his 
ministry  there,  at  a  cost  of  about  five  thousand 
dollars,  and  most  of  the  money  had  been  raised 
through  his  influence  and  efforts.  There  was 
at  the  time  of  his  leaving  for  Conference  a  vary 
gracious  revival  in  progress.  So  great  was  the 
religious  interest  in  his  charge  that  he  remained 
and  preached  in  Coxsackie  on  Wednesday  even- 
ing, and  did  not  reach'  the  Conference  until 
Friday  morning,  Aprif  5,  two  clays  after  the 
opening  of  the  Conference,  He  had  taken  a 
severe  cold,  a*nd  was  quite  unwell.  He  ac- 
cepted an  invitation  from  his  intimate  friend, 
Rev.  D.  L.  Marks,  to  his  residence,  a  few  blocks 
from  the  Conference.  At  about  half  past  eleven 
A.  M.  he  was  seized  with  hemorrhage  of  the 
lungs.  The  bleeding  was  soon  checked.  He 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  191 

was  feeble,  but  no  immediate  danger  was  an- 
ticipated. On  the  following  Tuesday  morning 
he  thought  himself  much  better,  and  cherished 
the  hope  of  returning  home  on  Wednesday  ;  but 
during  the  day  he  failed  quite  fast.  His  wife 
had  been  summoned,  who  reached  his  room  on 
Wednesday  morning.  His  physician  also  came 
with  counsel.  In  a  few  hours  it  was  perceptible 
that  he  was  near  his  end.  He  became  conscious 
that  he  was  soon  to  die,  and  inquired  for  his 
friend  above  referred  to,  whom  he  requested  to 
look  after  some  matters  of  temporal  interest  to 
his  wife.  Prayer  was  offered  for  him,  and  his 
responses  were  frequent  and  earnest.  When 
told  that  the  Conference  was  about  to  close, 
and  asked  if  he  had  any  message  to  his  breth- 
ren, he  said,  "  Tell  the  Conference  religion  sus 
tains  me  now  ;  tell  all  my  friends  this."  Then 
he  shouted,  "  Glory  !  glory  !  "  saying,  "  All  is 
clear."  Lifting  up  his  eyes,  and  fixing  them 
with  "a  steady  gaze  as  if  on  some  object,  he  said 
with  a  smile,  "  I  behold  him  !  I  behold  him  !  I 
behold  my  Redeemer  ! "  Then  turning  to  those 
about  him,  he  said,  "  I  shall  take  a  city  appoint- 
ment this  year  in  the  city  of  the  New  Jerusalem." 
His  wife  inquired  if  he  had  any  message  to  his 
father.  "  Tell  him  in  a  few  more  years  we  shall 
meet  on  the  other  shore.  Tell  all  my  friends 
this."  He  then  kissed  his  wife,  and  said,  "  Come 
to  heaven,  dear."  These  were  his  last  words. 


192  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

He  died  in  a  few  minutes,  without  a  struggle, 
on  Wednesday,  April  10,  in  the  thirty-seventh 
year  of  his  age  and  the  tenth  year  of  his  min- 
istry. At  his  death  his  name  was  in  the  printed 
list  of  appointments  for  Coxsackie  the  third  year; 
but  his  death  being  announced  before  the  ap- 
pointments were  read,  another  was  appointed  to 
the  charge,  and  he  entered  upon  the  city  ap- 
pointment in  the  i;  Xew  Jerusalem." 

Xo  lan<niao;e  can   describe  the  dving  scene. 

on  *j         o 

Seldom  is  there  such  a  combination  of  circum- 
stances. A  message  Jiad  been  sent  to  the  Con- 
ference that  he  was  dying.  Only  a  short  dis- 
tance from  his  chamber  there  was  a  whole  Con- 
ference of  ministers,  with  two  Bishops,  and  all 
Conference  business  suspended,  devoting  the 
time  to  special  prayer  for  their  dying  brother. 
Ail  indescribable  glory  filled  the  room  in  which 
the  faithful  minister  and  devoted  Christian  and 
friend  was  dictating  his  last  messages,  cheering 
those  who  were  present  with  him,  and  commit- 
ting his  spirit  to  God  in  clear  and  blessed  visions 
of  his  ascended  and  glorified  Redeemer.  It  was 
rather  the  chamber  of  life  than  of  death. 

"  Tread  softlv :   bow  the  head  :  in  reverent  silence  bow. 
No  passing  bell  doth  toll,  yet  an  immortal  soul  is  passing  now. 
0  change.  0  wondrous  change!     Burst  are  the  prison  bars; 
This  moment  there  so  lo\v  in  prayer,  and  now  beyond  the  stars. 
0  change,  stupendous  change!     There  lies  the  senseless  clod:' 
The  soul  from  bondage  breaks,  the  new  immortal  wakes  au4 
.  walks  with  God." 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  193 

Interesting  funeral  services  were  held  on  the 
llth  of  April  in  the  Bedford-street  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  which  were  conducted  by 
Bishop  Janes,  assisted  by  other  ministers  and 
members  of  the  Conference.  His  remains  were 
buried  in  Bethel,  his  native  county. 

During  the  following  week  a  memorial  serv- 
ice was  held  in  the  Coxsackie  Church,  in  the 
presence  of  the  people  of  his  last  charge,  who 
gave  ample  testimony  of  their  love  to  their 
late  Pastor,  and  of  their  deep  affliction  in  his 
death. 

As  a  friend,  Brother  Breakey  was  true  and 
confiding,  and  had  a  warm  heart.  Only  those 
who  were  intimate  with  him  knew  the  man. 
He  was  unassuming,  and  never  crowded  his 
claims  upon  the  attention  of  others.  As  a  min- 
ister of  Jesus,  he  was  intelligent,  and  most  thor- 
oughly'devoted  to  his  great  work.  In  his  preach- 
ing there  was  at  times  a  little  hesitation  in  his 
manner,  but  this  was  soon  more  than  compen- 
sated for  in  the  richness  of  the  thoughts  which  he 
uttered.  He  was  most  emphatically  an  inter- 
esting preacher.  As  a  Pastor,  he  was  kind,  and 
prudent,  and  faithful,  and  greatly  beloved.  Few 
men  make  firmer  friends  than  did  Brother 
Breakey.  Some  make  them  quicker,  but  none 
hold  them  longer.  He  never  lost  any  by  im- 
prudence or  unkindness.  He  was  a  true  Chris- 

*  tian,  a  very  affectionate  husband,  and  a  valuable 

13 


194:  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

minister  of  Jesns  Christ.  His  removal  is  a  great 
loss  to  Iris  friends,  to  the  Church,  to  the  Con- 
ference, and  to  the  world ;  but  heaven  gaina 
what  earth  loses.  Man  is  immortal.  The  dead 
shall  be  raised  incorruptible.  "We  shall  see  him 
again. 


LORIN   CLARK. 

Lorin  Clark  was  born  Dec.  29,  1797,  in  Ame- 
nia,  Duchess  County,  X.  Y.,  and  died  in  Peeks- 
kill,  Jan.  29,  1868.  His  parents  were  pious 
Baptists.  He  was  awakened  to  solemn  thought- 
fulness  and  anxious  concern  about  his  eternal 
state  in  his  nineteenth  year,  and  restlessly 
sought  from  that  time  a  satisfying  scriptural 
evidence  of  his  interest  in  the  forgiving  love  of 
God.  His  description  of  these  two  great  events, 
which  were  destined  to  be  so  influential  in  shap- 
ing his  subsequent  course,  is  as  follows : 

"  I  was  awakened  in  rather  a  singular  man- 
ner. Theron  Osborn,  who  subsequently  became 
a  minister  in  the  Xew  York  Conference,  my 
brother  Orrin,  and  myself,  after  we  had  attgnd- 
ed  church,  stole  away,  and  went  on  a  fishing 
excursion  in  a  small  boat.  While  we  were 
making  ready  Osborn  looked  up  to  me  with  a 
solemn,  expressive  look,  and  said,  'What  if  the 
boat  should  upset  and  we  all  be  drowned? 
What  would  become  of  us?'  As  he  was  not  a  " 


SACKED  MEMORIES,  195 

professor  of  religion,  and,  for  any  thing  I  knew, 
a  careless  sinner,  those  words  rang  through  me 
like  the  sonnd  of  the  last  trump.  My  amuse- 
ment was  spoiled,  but  through  Divine  mercy  I 
was  preserved.  This  solemn  impression  con- 
tinued with  me  till  I  found  pardon  about  three 
months  after.  I  was  going  from  dinner  to  the 
hay  field.  I  went  alone.  WhenJ^  came  to  a 
fence  I  knelt  down  and  prayed.  I  wept  unusu- 
ally in  my  humble  address  to  God,  and  had  an 
uncommon  freedom  in  my  expressions.  So  I 
went  on  from  fence  to  fence,  praying,  melting, 
and  weeping ;  but  all  this  time  I  was  not  aware  of 
any  special  change.  I  did  not  so  much  as  think 
my  blessed  Saviour  was  com^to  ease  me  of  my 
long,  lone,  and  oppressive  burden  of  guilt.  But 
so  it  was.  When  I  had  arrived  at  the  hay  field 
and  commenced  my  labor,  on  a  sudden,  like  the 
glow  of  a  blazing  meteor  amid  the  darkness  of 
the  evening,  all  nature  was  lighted  up  with  a 
beauteous  glow  and  grandeur  altogether  super- 
natural ;  I  raised  my  head,  long  cast  down,  and 
gazed  on  the  fields,  the  forest,  and  the  hills 
around  me  with  a  delight  so  new,  so  intense,  so 
entrancing,  that  I  was  lost  in  wonder,  love,  and 
praise." 

Subsequently  he  connected  himself  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  some  time 
afterward  went  to  an  academy  at  Lenox,  Mass., 
where  he  remained  two  years,  with  the  inten- 


196  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

tion  of  preparing  himself  for  college.  His  first 
license  to  preach  was  granted  to  him  while  at 
school  by  the  Xew  Haven  District  Conference, 
and  bears  date  Southbury,  Conn.,  Oct.  5,  1824, 
Samuel  Luckey,  Presiding  Elder. 

The  spring  following  he  was  admitted  on  trial 
in  the  New  York  Conference,  held  in  Troy,  and 
appointed  to  labor  on  the  St.  Alban's  Circuit." 
His  subsequent  appointments  were :  Whitehall, 
1826  ;  Stowe,  1827.  and  ordained  Deacon  ;  1828, 
Bridgeport ;  1829,  ordained  Elder  and  appoint- 
ed to  Stowe;  1830-31,  Amenia,  his  native 
town ;  1832-33.  Milan ;  1834-35,  Bedford ;  1836- 
37,  Eondout ;  1838,  Waterbury ;  1839,  Berlin, 
Conn.;  1840,  Ntwington  and  Weathersfield ; 
1841,  Peekskill ;  1842,  West  Point  and  Phillips- 
town  ;  1843,  Pine  Plains;  1844,  North  East; 
1845,  Lapharn's ;  1846-47,  Shrub  Oaks ;  1848- 
49,  Bedford;  1850-51,  Duchess;  1852-53, 
Marlborough. 

Much  of  this  time  his  fields  of  labor  were 
large,  often  requiring  long  rides  between  ap- 
pointments, preaching  three  times  on  the  Sab- 
bath, and  meeting  two  or  three  classes,  which 
was  then  the  rule  and  not  the  exception.  There 
were  also  many  discomforts,  occasioned  by  the 
exposure  and  changes  incident  to  the  ituierancy, 
and,  withal,  the  allowances  for  support  were 
small,  and  but  seldom  paid  in  full.  But  none 
of  these  things  moved  him  from  his  purpose  of 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  197 

preaching  the  Gospel  during  the  space  of  twenty- 
eight  years,  which  he  did  in  season  and  out  of 
season,  generally  with  much  acceptability,  and 
frequently  with  marked  success.  In  the  spring 
of  1846  the  writer  united  Lorin  Clark  in  the 
marriage  tie  to  Miss  Ann  Faurot,  of  Fort  Mont- 
gomery, with  whom  he  lived  happily  until  death 
sundered  the  relation. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1853  a  severe  attack  of 
heart  disease  disqualified  him  for  all  further  ef- 
fective service  in  the  ministry,  and  resulted  in 
a  change  of  his  relation  at  the  next  session  of 
the  Conference.  This  done  he  removed  his 
family  to  Peekskill,  where  he  drew  around  him 
numerous  friends,  who  esteemed  and  loved  him 
for  his  many  excellences  and  his  long  and  faith- « 
ful  service  in  the  ministry.  As  it  was  the 
pleasure  of  his  heavenly  Master  to  call  his  serv- 
ant away  suddenly  from  this  mutable  state,  there 
were  no  utterances  that  fell  from  his  lips  express- 
ive of  his  hope  and  trust  in  Christ,  the  Rock  of 
Ages ;  but  we  remember  that  he  had  aforetime, 
before  many  witnesses,  for  more  than  half  a 
century,  testified  his  faith  in  the  Saviour,  his  joy 
in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  his  hope  of  a  blessed 
immortality,  confirming  the  same  by  a  well- 
ordered  life  and  a  godly  conversation,  thereby 
leaving  an  indubitable  evidence  that  he  has 
entered  into  rest — "the  palace  of  angels  and 
God," 


198  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

As  a  man,  Brother  Clark  was  guileless  and 
magnanimous;  in  his  friendships  transparent 
and  true.  He  possessed  good  natural  abilities, 
a  very  respectable  education,  and  a  rich  store 
of  varied  and  useful  knowledge  that  he  knew 
how  to  use  and  apply ;  and  withal  he  was  modest 
of  his  attainments.  As  a  Christian,  his  piety 
was  unquestionable,  and  his  charity  embraced 
all  that  love  the  Lord  Jesus  in  sincerity.  As  a 
minister  he  was  well  versed  in  theology  j  ecclesi- 
astical history,  and  Church  polity.  His  preach- 
ing was  characterized  and  animated  by  zeal  for 
God  and  love  for  the  souls  of  men.  It  was 
plain  and  practical,  often  powerful,  always  ex- 
tempore, after  the  manner  of  the  fathers.  And 
•  the  record  of  his  twenty-eight  years  of  ministe- 
rial service,  we  doubt  not,  will  show  in  the  final 
day  that  not  a  few  were  saved  through  his 
instrumentality. 

The  morning  of  February  1st  his  remains 
were  taken  from  the  family  dwelling  to  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Peekskill,  where 
suitable  devotional  exercises  were  led  by  the 
Rev.  J.  B.  Wakeley,  Presiding  Elder,  in  which 
the  congregation,  with  much  solemn  thought- 
fulness,  very  feelingly  joined.  Some  suitable 
remarks  from  the  Presiding  Elder  and  other 
brethren  in  the  ministry  followed,  after  which 
the  body  was  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Montgomery,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  199 

for  interment,  and  laid  by  kind  hands  in  the 
beautiful  cemetery  that  overlooks  its  ever-flow- 
ing Waters. 

There  sweet  be  his  rest  till  the  saints  shall  arise 
To  greet  their  Redeemer  descending  the  skies. 


NEW  YORK   EAST   CONFERENCE. 


JESSE   HUNT. 

Jesse  Hunt  was  born  in  Mamaroneck,  West- 
chester  County,  N.  Y.,  July  22,  1787.  Through 
the  faithful  and  pious  instructions  of  his  mother, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
he  was  early  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
salvation — a  circumstance  to  which  he  often  ad- 
verted with  pleasure  and  gratitude.  While  he 
was  yet  quite  young,  his  parents  removed  to  the 
city  of  New  York,  where,  through  the  preach- 
ing of  the  word,  his  religious  impressions  were 
much  deepened,  and  he  became  a  sincere  and 
earnest  inquirer  for  the  way  of  life.  When 
about  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  experienced  a  clear 
and  undoubted  evidence  of  acceptance  with 
God,  through  Jesus  Christ.  He  immediately 
connected  himself  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  John-street,  arid  continued  a  consist- 
ent and  devoted  member  until  1809,  when,  be- 


200  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

lieving  himself  called  to  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try, he  received  a  license  to  exhort,  and  shortly 
afterward  a  license  to  preach.  In  1811  he  joined 
the  itinerancy,  and  in  1813  was  received  into 
full  connection,  and  ordained  Deacon  by  Bishop 
Asbury.  In  1815  he  was  ordained  Elder  by 
Bishop  M'Kendree.  From  the  time  of  his  ad- 
mission in  1811,  until  the  division  of  the  New 
York  Conference  in  1848,  a  period  of  thirty-' 
seven  years,  he  labored  with  fidelity  and  success, 
oftentimes  upon  the  most  extensive  and  labori- 
ous circuits  within  the  Conference.  In  June, 
1848,  he  received  his  appointment  to  New 
Eochelle  Circuit,  within  the  bounds  of  the  New 
York  East  Conference.  In  October,  1847,  he 
left  his  circuit,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and 
daughter,  for  the  purpose  of  transacting  some 
business,  and  visiting  some  of  his  friends.  While 
at  the  village  of  Rhinebeck,  N.  Y.,  he  was 
seized  with  a  violent  attack  of  dysentery.  A 
council  of  physicians  was  called  upon  his  case, 
and  efforts  were  made  to  arrest  his  disease,  but 
in  vain  ;  he  lingered,  often  in  excruciating  pain, 
until 'the  morning  of  November  5th,  when  he 
calmly  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  His  experience 
during  his  illness  being  marked  by  steady  com- 
munion with  God,  and  perfect  resignation  to  his 
holy  will,  presented  a  favorable  and  happy 
illustration  of  the  power  and  peace  of  our  holy 
religion. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  201 

Brother  Hunt  was  modest  and  retiring  in  his 
deportment,  and  possessed  amiable  qualities  of 
character.  His  piety  was  steady  and  unfeigned ; 
he  was  faithful  and  conscientious  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  ministerial  duties — plain,  pointed, 
and  practical  in  his  sermons,  and  ardently  at 
tached  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
sought  not  his  own  glory,  but  the  salvation  of 
souls ;  and,  conscious  of  his  own  impotency,  he 
sanctified  his  efforts  by  faith  and  prayer.  'Not 
unfrequently  he  was  honored  with  the  manifest 
tokens  of  the  Divine  approbation ;  and  several 
extensive  and  powerful  revivals  occurred  under 
his  ministrations. 


ORLANDO   STARR. 

Orlando  Starr  was  born  in  Danbury,  Conn., 
where  he  experienced  religion,  when  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  a  pious  brother.  He  joined  the  New 
York  Conference  on  probation  in  1832.  Dur- 
ing the  time  he  held  an  effective  relation  to  the 
Conference,  he  was  a  zealous  and  successful 
preacher.  Simple  and  urgent  in  his  appeals  to 
sinners,  many  through  his  instrumentality  were 
brought  to  Christ.  Though  reserved  and  diffi- 
dent in  his  manner,  he  gave  evidence  of  possess- 
ing a  sound,  discriminating  mind,  as  well  as  a 


202  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

warm,  fervent  spirit.  He  died  in  peace,  April 
24,  1849,  in  the  town  where  he  was  born,  aged 
forty-four  years. 


MOSES  BLYDENBURGH. 

Moses  Blydenburgh  was  born  in  Islip,  L.  L, 
of  eminently  pious  parents.  He  experienced 
religion  when  about  fourteen  years  old,  and  was 
ever  after  an  exemplary  Christian.  He  was  re- 
ceived on  trial  by  the  Kew  York  Conference  in 
1840.  In  each  of  the  charges  to  which  he  was 
appointed,  during  his  brief  ministry,  he  gave 
evidence  of  devotion  to  his  work — his  preaching 
was  earnest,  and  his  pastoral  labors  faithful. 
Those  who  knew  him  will  long  remember  the 
kindness  of  his  heart,  and  the  affability  of  his 
manners. 

The  circumstances  of  his  death  were  striking 
and  admonitory.  He  attended  a  camp- meeting 
held  at  East  Gran  by,  in  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber, 1847,  in  his  usual  health.  He  was  there 
taken  sick  of  bilious  fever ;  too  sick  to  return  to 
his  htmie  in  Wolcottville.  He  was  kindly  en- 
tertained by  Zophar  Griffin,  Esq.,  living  near 
the  camp-ground,  at  whose  house  he  expired, 
after  a  few  days'  illness,  in  the  thirty-first 
year  of  his  age,  in  full  hope  of  a  blissful 
immortality. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  203* 

ELIJAH  WOOLSEY. 

Elijah  Woolsey  was  born  July  26,  1771,  in 
Marlborough,  Ulster  County,  N.  Y.  His  par- 
ents were  pious;  his  mother  especially  was 
deeply  devoted  to  God,  and  no  doubt  imparted 
to  hiA  early  religious  instruction.  As  a  result, 
probably,  of  the  piety  and  prayers  of  his  parents, 
he  was  converted  to  God  in  his  youth,  and  at 
twenty. years  of  age  entered  the  itinerant  minis- 
try, and  was  stationed  on  Cambridge  Circuit. 

In  1794  he  volunteered  his  services  for  Can- 
ada. He  was  then  but  twenty-three  years  of 
age.  Not  only  was  the  country  which  he  had 
chosen  as  the  field  of  his  toil  a  new  country, 
destitute  of  .many  of  the  comforts  qf,  civilized 
life,  but  the  road  to  it  for  some  hundreds  of 
miles  was  an  almost  unbroken  forest.  His  route 
lay  up  the  Mohawk  River  to  its  source,  thence 
down  Wood  Creek  to  Lake  Ontario,  and  across 
the  Lake  into  Canada.  His  companion  in  this 
missionary  enterprise  was  the  late  James  Col- 
man.  Their  most  feasible  method  of  traveling 
was  by  canoe,  and  after  incredible  toil  and  hard- 
ship, sleeping  from  fifteen  to  twenty  nights  in 
the  woods,  they  accomplished  their  journey. 
Here  he  labored  with  diligence  and  success  for 
two  years,  and  left  a  grateful  memorial  of  him- 
self in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  He  continued 
to  fill  various  circuits,  stations,  and  districts, 


•204  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

often  preaching  under  the  influence  of  power 
from  on  high,  and  participating  in  many  gra- 
cious revivals  of  religion,  until  1835,  when  he 
was  returned  supernumerary,  in  which  relation, 
that  of  a  superannuate,  he  continued  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  Jan.  24,  1850. 

After  desisting  from  the  regular  work*of  an 
itinerant  minister,  he  chose  for  his  residence 
Rye,  Westchester  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  en- 
deared himself  to  the  people  by  preaching  when 
able,  assisting  in  the  various  social  means  of 
grace,  and  uniting  in  affectionate  Christian  in- 
tercourse. His  decease  was  preceded  by  a  long 
and  gradual  decline,  during  which  he  exhibited 
Christian  resignation  and  cheerfulness,  and  his 
spirit  ofte^i  rejoiced  in  God  his  Saviour. 

Father  Woolsey  was  a  man  of  great  benev- 
olence of  character  and  amenity  of  manners. 
He  seemed  to  have  the  happy  art  of  attaching 
to  himself  his  associates  without  eifort  on  his 
part,  and  those  attachments  were  lasting  as  life. 
He  was  a  holy  man,  a  good  preacher,  and  he 
shall  be  held  in  everlasting  remembrance. 


WILLIAM  DIXON. 

William  Dixon  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Will- 
iam Dixon,  a  member  of  the  Wesley  an  Meth- 
odist Conference,  and  was  born  in  England, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  205 

December  27,  1816.  He  received  his  education 
partly  at  Woodhouse  Grove  School.  He  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  seeker  of  religion  in  very 
early  life.  In  1834  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  and  settled  at  "Windsor,  Conn.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  he  obtained  a  clear  sense  of  his 
acceptance  with  God.  Soon  after  his  conver- 
sion he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  enter  upon  the 
work  of  the  ministry.  In  1840  he  was  admitted 
on  trial  as  a  traveling  preacher  into  the  New 
York  Conference,  and  appointed  to  Gran  by 
Circuit.  In  1842  he  was  received  into  full  con- 
nection, and  appointed  to  Colebrook  Circuit. 
In  1845  he  was  ordained  an  Elder  and  stationed 
at  Litchfield.  In  1848-49  he  was  stationed  at 
Sag  Harbor,  L.  I.  From  Sag  Harbor  he  was 
removed  to  Hempstead,  where  he  labored  with 
great  acceptability  until  his  death. 

Brother  Dixon's  sickness  was  of  short  dura- 
tion. He  was  attacked  with  a  malignant  dysen- 
tery on  Tuesday  night,  and  died  a  little  before 
nine  of  the  Friday  evening  following.  This  was 
August  17,  1849.  He  was  in  the  thirty-third 
year  of  his  age,  and  in  the  ninth  of  his  ministry. 

Brother  Dixon  was  a  man  of  no  ordinary 
character.  As  a  preacher  he  was  admired  and 
successful.  As  a  pastor  he  was  faithful  and  be- 
loved. His  advice  to  a  friend  and  brother  min- 
ister just  before  his  death  is  sufficiently  indica- 
tive of  his  spirit,  and  explains  the  ground  of  his 


206  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

ministerial  success.  "Preach  Christ.  Pleach 
a  full,  a  free,  and  a  present  salvation."  His 
deatli  was  triumphant.  His  language  a  few 
moments  before  his  departure  was,  "  I  am  not 
afraid  to  die ; "  and  repeating  the  words,  he 
added,  "  The  language  I  employed  when  God 
first  converted  my  soul  I  can  still  use,  '  Glory 
to  God  in  the  highest,  peace  on  earth,  good- 
will to  men.'  Glory  to  God !  Glory  to  God! 
GLORY  TO  GOD!"  Thus  died  one  in  whose 
crown  of  rejoicing  will  be  found  many  stars 
which  shall  shine  amid  the  effulgence  of  the 
upper  temple  forever. 


EZRA  JAGGER. 

Ezra  Jagger  was  born  at  Southampton,  L.  I., 
February  27,  1806.  In  the  twenty-sixth  year 
of  his  age  he  experienced  religion.  Methodism 
had  then  no  place  in  the  parish  where  he  resided, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  go  twenty  miles  to  unite 
with  the  Church  of  his  choice.  Soon,  however, 
a  small  class  was  organized,  and  he  was  ap- 
pointed leader ;  through  his  efforts  chiefly  a  neat 
church  edifice  was  erected  on  his  paternal  estate. 
He  was  licensed  as  a  Local  Preacher  October 
12,  1833.  He  joined  the  New  York  Conference 
in  1834,  and  successively  traveled  the  Circuits 
of  Huntington,  Hempstead,  White  Plains  and 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  207 

Greenburg,  Westport,  Weston  and  East'  Village, 
Burlington,  Derby,  Southold  and  Cutchogue, 
Farmingdale,  Smith  town,  and  Huntington. 
About  ten  days  before  his  death  he  was  at- 
tacked with  an  ulcerated  sore  throat,  attended 
with  typhoid  fever.  Though  suffering  severely 
in  his  sickness  he  did  not  murmur,  but  said, 
"My  work  is  all  done."  He  died  April  22, 
1850,  aged  forty-four  years.  He  was  a  man  of 
strict  integrity,  of  great  benevolence,  mild  and 
unassuming  in  manner,  and  was  most  beloved 
where  best  known.  He  was  eminently  a  man 
of  prayer,  and  devoted  to  his  Master's  work,  and 
many  live  to  remember  with  gratitude,  that 
through  him  they  were  led  to  the  cross  of 
Christ. 


ELIJAH   CRAWFORD. 

* 

Elijah  Crawford  was  born  in  the  city  of  New 
Tork  in  the  year  1812.  He  was  early  instructed 
in  the  principles  of  piety,  and  at  the  age  of 
about  seventeen,  in  a  revival  at  the  Allen-street 
Church,  he  became  awakened,  and  sought  and 
found  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  From  this  time  forward  he  manifested 
an  ardent  piety,  and  from  his  desire  to  do  good, 
and  the  acceptability  of  his  public  efforts,  soon 
gave  evidence  that  he  was  called  of  God  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry. 


208  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

He  received  license  to  preach  in  the  Church 
where  he  had  embraced  the  Saviour,  and  en- 
tered the  traveling  connection  in  the  spring  of 
1835  ;  in  which  he  continued  his  labors  without 
any  intermission  for  nearly  fifteen  years,  until 
he  was  called  to  his  reward. 

Brother  Crawford  was  a  man  of  deep  and 
constant  piety,  of  warm  and  cheerful  tempera- 
ment, firm  in  his  purposes,  and  unflinching  in 
his  integrity.  He  was  a  good  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ,  in  labors  abundant,  and  every-where  be- 
loved by  the  people  whom  he  served.  He  died 
of  dysentery  in  the  city  of  Hartford,  Septem- 
ber, 1849,  declaring  to  his  companion  and 
friends  who  surrounded  him.  but  a  few  moments 
before  his  death,  that  his  work  was  done,  and 
that  it  was  the  happiest  hour  of  his  whole  life. 
So  he  departed  to  be  with  Christ. 


STEPHEN    OLIK 

Stephen  Olin  was  born  at  Leicester,  in  the 
State  of  Vermont,  on  the  2d  day  of  March,  1797. 
He  was  educated  at  Middlebury  College,  in  his 
native  State,  wrhere  he  graduated  in  1820  with 
the  highest  honors  of  his  class.  Soon  afterward 
he  took  charge  of  the  Tabernacle  Academy  in 
the  Abbeville  District,  S.  C.  While  engaged 
in  his  duties  as  *a  teacher  he  was  led  to  see  his 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  209 

need  of  Christ,  and  after  a  severe  mental  strug- 
gle, embraced  him  as  his  all-sufficient  Saviour, 
and  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Soon  he  was  moved  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  and  in  tlie  year  1824  he  was  admit 
ted  on  trial  in  the  South  Carolina  Conference, 
by  which  he  was  appointed  as  junior  preacher 
in  the  city  of  Charleston,  where  his  labors  were 
abundant,  and  God  gave  him  many  seals  to  his 
ministry.  In  1826  he  was  elected  Professor  of 
Belles-Lettres  in  the  University  of  Georgia,  and 
in  1832  he  was  called  to  the  presidency  of  Ran- 
dolph Macon  College,  in  Virginia.  He  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  these  important  stations 
with  fidelity  and  success  ;  but  in  1837,  his  health 
having  failed,  he  was  obliged  to  relinquish  all 
professional  duties.  He  made  a  voyage  to  Eu- 
rope and  the  East,  where  he  remained  until 
1841,  and  on  his  return  published  two  volumes, 
entitled  "  Travels  in  Egypt,  Arabia  Petrsea,  and 
the  Holy  Land."  In  1842  he  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  Wesleyan  University,  and  although 
in  feeble  health,  and  unable  to  reach  his  own 
high  standard  of  duty,  he  gave  ample  satisfac- 
tion to  the  patrons  of  the  institution,  and  gained 
for  himself  a  high  position  among  the  scholars 
of  the  age. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  summer  of  1851  he 
was  attacked  with  malignant  dysentery,  and  was 
unable  to  be  present  at  the  annual  meeting  of 

" 


210  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

the  Trustees  of  the  College,  or  to  attend  the 
exercises  on  Commencement  day.  The  mental 
anxiety  consequent  upon  his  unavoidable  ab- 
sence exasperated  the  disease.  His  sufferings 
were  severe,  but  his  soul  was  kept  in  perfect 
peace,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  Au 
gust  he  entered  into  rest. 

It  devolves  not  upon  us  to  assign  to  our  de- 
parted brother  his  position  in  the  galaxy  of  the 
world's  great  men,  nor  does  it  become  us  to  deal 
in  language  of  unmeasured  eulogy.  We  may 
be  permitted,  however,  to  say  that  in  the  death 
of  Stephen  Oliu  the  republic  of  letters  has  lost 
one  of  its  brightest  ornaments,  the  Church  mili- 
tant has  been  bereaved  of  a  most  zealous,  cath- 
olic-spirited, and  eloquent  champion,  and  the 
Isew  York  East  Conference  have  lost  the  bright 
example  of  a  brother  beloved,  whose  faith  may 
we  follow,  considering  the  end  of  his  conversa- 
tion :  Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yesterday,  to-day, 
and  forever  ! 


BARTHOLOMEW  CREAGH. 

Bartholomew  Creagh  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Dublin,  Ireland,  in  the  year  1801,  and  died  in 
.Williamsburgh,  L.  I.,  on  the  10th  of  August, 
1852.  He  was  converted  to  God  when  about  six- 
teen. Two  years  subsequently  he  carne  to  this 
country.  In  1827  he  was  received  on  trial  in  the 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  211 

New  York  Conference.  The  list  of  appoint- 
ments assigned  him  illustrates  to  some  extent 
the  high  estimate  set  upon  his  talents.  Once 
he  filled  the  office  of  Presiding  Elder,  and  twice 
was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference. 

He  was  a  brother  greatly  beloved.  As  a  man, 
he  was  affable,  affectionate,  conscientious  ;  *as  a 
Christian,  he  could  say,  "  It  is  not  I  that  live, 
but  Christ  that  liveth  in  me."  His  piety  was 
blended  with  the  closest  self-scrutiny.  His  faith 
was  clear  and  strong  in  the  atoning  and  cleans- 
ing blood.  His  dispositions  were  evidently  the 
fruit  of  the  Spirit,  and  he  shaded  largely  the  joy 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  As  a  minister,  he  was 
among  the  very  best  models  of  ministerial  ex- 
cellence :  in  the  pulpit  the  impressive,  pathetic, 
and  eloquent  preacher ;  in  his  pastoral  labors, 
sympathizing,  faithful,  the  son  of  consolation,  a 
messenger  of  mercy.  He  died  as  we  should  exj 
pect  Brother  Creagh  to  die,  searching  his  heart, 
resting  upon  Christ,  and  shouting  in  the  victory 
given.  His  name  is  as  ointment  poured  forth. 
He  sleeps  in  Jesus.  He  lives  in  heaven. 


WILLIAM  M'KENDREE  BANGS. 

William  M'Kendree  Bangs  was  born  in  the 
city  of  New  York  in  1810,  and  died  in  New 
York  city  September  5,  1852.  Often  in  his 


212  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

youth  was  he  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
becoming  a  Christian,  and  at  times  was  much 
concerned  about  his  soul,  and  prayed  to  God  to 
have  mercy  on  him,  but  never  fully  gave  his 
heart  to  God  till  the  summer  of  1827.  Soon 
after,  in  his  seventeenth  year,  he  was  licensed 
to  exhort,  and  the  next  year  received  license  as 
a  Local  Preacher.  He  was  then  pursuing  his- 
studies  in  the  University  of  Ohio,  where  he 
graduated  at  nineteen  years  of  age  with  the 
highest  honors.  A  proof  of  his  ripe  scholarship 
was  his  immediately  being  engaged  as  professor 
of  languages  in  Augusta  College,  Kentucky. 
His  mind  now  became  strongly  impressed  with 
the  duty  of  entering  the  Christian  ministry ;  he 
therefore  declined  the  offer  of  a  lucrative  pro- 
fessorship in  another  college.  He  returned 
home,  and  in  1831  was  received  on  trial  in  the 
NQ\V  York  Conference.  Feeble  health,  con- 
tracted during  his  literary  studies,  required  him 
often  to  intermit  his  labors,  and  prevented  that 
activity  essential  to  extended  usefulness. 

Brother  Bangs  was  not  understood  except  by 
those  who  knew  him  intimately.  It  is  not  sur- 
prising that  he  was  regarded  as  reserved,  or  even 
austere,  by  those  who  judged  of  him  by  his  out- 
ward manner.  But  among  his  friends  his  inter- 
course was  without  restraint,  social,  and  com- 
municative. 

He  was  endowed  with  rare  gifts  of  mind,  eiii- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  213 

tivated  by  a  liberal  education  and  habits  of  re- 
flection. His  powers  of  analysis,  reasoning,  and 
judgment  were  of  the  highest  order.  Irre  com- 
mand of  language,  exhibited  in  the  apt  and  ex- 
pressive choice  of  words,  was  rarely  equaled. 
His  sermons  bore  the  impress  of  a  great  mind, 
and  were  characterized  by  the  simplicity,  purity, 
and  faithfulness  of  his  design.  Had  he  been  un- 
fettered by  disease,  he  would  have  been  placed 
in  the  most  eminent  positions,  and  by  his  death 
places  have  been  made  vacant  which  his  mental 
capabilities  qualified  him  to  occupy.  The  last 
week  of  his  life  wTas  passed  in  his  father's  family. 
His  faith  was  precious.  He  has  entered  into 
rest. 


WILLIAM  K.  STOPFORD. 

William  K.  Stopford  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Dublin,  Ireland,  July  9, 1809,  and  "fell  asleep" 
June  25,  1852.  By  the  blessing  of  God  on  his 
early  training  at  the  age  of  ten  he  gave  satis- 
factory evidence  that  he  had  experienced  the 
converting  grace  of  God.  For  a  few  years  he 
walked  in  newness  of  life.  Under  painful,  un- 
expected, disappointing,  and  surprising  reverses, 
he  yielded  to  discouragement,  lost  his  religious 
enjoyments,  and  fell  into  sin.  Soon  after  he 
came  to  this  country,  when  about  eighteen  years 
of  age,  on  his  way  to  Troy,  an  unknown  friend 

* 


214  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

administered  a  faithful  reproof.  It  was  a  word 
in  season.  From  that  moment  he  resolved  to 
return  to  God.  Immediately  on  his  arrival  he 
sought  the  Pastor  of  the  Church,  and  was  ad- 

O  * 

mitted  on  probation.  Returning  again  to  New 
York  city,  he  united  with  the  Church  in  For- 
syth-street,  having  been  returned  to  the  joys  of 
salvation.  His  course  was  now  rapidly  pro- 
gressive. "With  brief  intervals,  he  was  called 
successively  to  the  duties  of  Class  Leader,  Ex- 
horter.  and  Local  Preacher,  and  God  counted 
him  faithful,  putting  him  into  the  ministry.  In 
the  winter  of  1832  he  was  employed  by  the 
Presiding  Elder  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  Sag  Harbor. 
At  the  ensuing  session  of  the  Xew  York  Confer- 
ence, 1833,  he  was  received  on  trial.  He  grad- 
uated to  orders  with  great  credit  to  himself.  In 
all  the  appointments  assigned  him — and  most 
of  them  were  highly  responsible  ones — he  la- 
bored faithfully  and  successfully. 

At  our  Conference  of  1852  we  were  premonished 
that  we  should  "  never  see  his  face  again,"  and 
wondered  that  one  so  evidently  dying  could  be 
in  attendance  ;  that  he  would  unremittingly  toil 
in  his  duties  as  chairman  of  the  stewards,  which 
for  many  sessions  had  devolved  on  him  ;  and 
most  of  all,  that  he  should  dream  of  taking  an 
appointment.  But  he  seemed  to  think  only  of 
the  Church,  of  his  family,  and  the  reasons  ex- 
isting for  labor.  He  kept  at  his  work,  trying 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  215 

to  do  what  he  saw  was  needed  to  be  done.  But 
when  conscious  that  he  was  no  longer  required 
to  toil  here,  calmly  and  confidently  he  said, 
"  JVly  work  is  done."  He  rests  from  his  labors, 
having  finished  his  course  with  joy,  and  the 
ministry  he  had  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

Brother  Stopford  was  a  man  of  variant  feel- 
ings, but  only  to  noble  and  generous  impulses 
and  sentiments  could  his  mind  settle.  As  a 
minister,  he  sought  to  be  a  workman  that 
needed  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the 
word  of  truth.  In  his  relations  as  a  Pastor,  he 
was  diligent  and  attentive.  His  worth  and  ex- 
cellence will  long  be  cherished  by  many  to  whom 
he  was  called  to  minister. 


OLIVER    SYKES. 

Oliver  Sykes  was  born  in  Suffield,  Conn., 
1TY8.  He  died  in  Stratford,  in  the  same  State, 
February  11,  1853.  In  his  twenty-second  year 
he  received  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins.  In  1800 
he  was  received  on  trial  in  the  New  York  Con- 
ference. In  1810  he  became  superannuated,  and 
most  of  the  time  continued  in  this  relation  till 
the  close  of  his  life.  He  was  diligent  in  his  Mas- 
ters business  to  the  extent  of  his  ability.  He 
was  a  good,  man,  and  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy 
Ghost.  He  was  a  good  preacher,  and  served  his 


216  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

God  and  his  generation  with  great  fidelity.  His 
last  sickness  was  severe  and  protracted ;  he,  how- 
ever, suffered  patiently.  With  an  unclouded 
prospect  before  him,  he  took  his  departure  for 
the  rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God. 

Brother  Sykes  was  never  married.  His  prop- 
erty, about  $2,500,  he  bequeathed  to  the  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  for  the  benefit  of  the  China  Mission. 
"  The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed." 


ROBERT     SENEY. 

Robert  Seney  was  born  October  12,  1797. 
Accustomed  from  early  years  to  attend  upon  the 
ministry,  and  being  faithfully  instructed  by  a 
most  deroted  mother,  he  was  marked  for  his  re- 
ligious seriousness  from  his  childhood.  He  grad- 
uated at  Columbia  College  in  1817,  and  soon 
afterward  made  a  decided  profession  of  religion, 
and  united  himself  to  the  Church.  In  1820  he 
was  received  on  trial  in  the  JSTew  York  Confer- 
ence, and  appointed  to  Greenville  Circuit.  He 
soon  gave  full  proof  of  his  ministry,  and  during 
after  years  filled  with  great  acceptability  almost 
every  important  appointment  then  within  the 
bounds  of  the  Conference.  In  1852  he  was 
placed  upon  the  supernumerary  list,  and  contin- 
ued to  preach  until  attacked  by  a  paralytic 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  217 

• 

stroke  in  the  left  side.  This  attack,  though  it 
prevented  his  preaching,  did  not  prevent  his 
frequent  attendance  upon  divine  worship,  in 
which  he  found  increased  comfort  and  support. 
On  the  1st  of  July,  1854,  he  was  attacked  by  a 
more  violent  stroke  upon  the  right  side ;  from 
this  he  could  not  rally,  and  calmly  "  fell  asleep 
in  Jesus." 

Wherever  Brother  Seney  has  labored,  his 
"  praise  is  in  all  the  Churches."  As  a  preacher 
his  style  was  clear,  chaste,  and  forcible,  and  his 
labors  were  signally  successful.  As  a  Christian 
he  was  artless,  affable,  and  faithful — the  "  man 
of  God,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  every  good 
work."  In  the  circle  of  his  own  home  his  every 
excellence  was  especially  illustrated.  His  widow 
and  five  children — one  son  and  four  daughters 
—were  all  "  partakers  of  like  precious  faith ; " 
and  all  most  clearly  exemplified  the  religion 
which  he  preached  with  pathos,  which  he  lived 
to  adorn,  and  which,  in  his  sufferings  and  dying, 
was  his  support,  and  hope  of  an  exceeding 
great  reward. 


JOHN  G.  SMITH. 

John  G.  Smith  was  born  in  Marlborough, 
Ulster  County,  K  Y.,  September  30,  1809,  and 
died  in  Warwick,  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  Sep- 
tember 30, 1854,*aged  forty -five,  having  spent  one 


218  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

half  his  life  in  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  While  a  youth  he  was 
placed  to  a  trade;  but  such  were  his  studious 
habits  and  aspiring  ambition,  that,  while  but 
a  stripling,  he  left  the  mechanic's  shop  for  the 
employment  of  a  school-teacher.  About  this 
time  he  was  led  to  enter  the  school  of  Christ  as 
a  learner,  and  became  wise  unto  salvation,  and 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Soon  his  gifts,  grace,  and  usefulness  in  the  cause 
of  Christ  became  so  apparent  that  the  eyes  of 
the  Church  were  turned  toward  him  as  a  young 
man  of  more  than  ordinary  promise.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-two  we  find  him  authorized  to 
preach,  and  employed  on  Sullivan  Circuit, 
under  the  Rev.  Marvin  Richardson,  .who  was 
then  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Newburgh  District. 
Although  Sullivan  Circuit  at  that  time  was 
large,4and  much  of  its  extensive  territory  was 
new  and  wild,  and  most  of  the  inhabitants 
comparatively  jpoor,  unable  as  yet  to  build 
churches,  yet  his  voice  was  heard  as  he  went 
from  school-house  to  school-house,  and  from  set- 
tlement to  settlement,  proclaiming  a  free,  full, 
and  present  salvation  from  sin  through  faith  in 
the  blood  of  Christ.  Here  God  gave  him  souls 
as  seals  to  his  ministry.  At  the  close  of  this 
year  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  New  York 
Conference,  and  returned  to  Sullivan  Circuit,, 
where  he  labored  acceptably  another  year, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  219 

Afterward  his  appointments  were  as  follows: 
Rondout,  one  year;  Montgomery,  Rossville, 
Saugerties,  each  two  years ;  New  Windsor,  one 
year;  Middletown,  Monroe,  and  Duchess  Cir- 
cuit, each  two  years.  At  its  ensuing  session  the 
New  York  Conference  was  divided,  and  Brother 
Smith  was  stationed  at  Willett-street  Church, 
New  York  city,  which  appointment  placed  him 
in  the  New  York  East  Conference.  After 
spending  two  years  at  Willett-street,  he  labored 
two  years  at  the  Centenary  Church,  Brooklyn, 
and  two  years  at  the  Second  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  New  Haven,  Conn.  Here 
his  health  failed  in  February,  1854,  but  being 
desirous  to  fill  out  the  year,  as  Conference  was 
to  sit  in  May,  he  continued  preaching  as  best  he 
could  until  the  23d  of  April,  when  he  preached 
his  last  sermon.  After  having  tried  medical  aid 
in  New  Haven,  and  finding  no  permanent  relief, 
on  the  5th  of  July  he  left  with  his  family  and 
reached  his  brother-in-law's,  in  the  town  of 
Warwick,  where  he  hoped  to  leave  them  while 
he  should  visit  the  Springs  for  his  health  ;  but 
he  could  proceed  no  further.  Fatigued  with  his 
journey,  and  prostrated  by  increasing  difficulties, 
he  called  in  medical  aid,  and  for  a  time,  still 
hoped  that  he  would  recover.  At  this  time  the 
writer  visited  hkn,  and  found  him  feeble,  but 
nevertheless  cheerful,  and  hopeful  of  returning 
health. 


220  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

On  my  next  visit  I  found  him  much  worse. 
He  then  believed  that  his  work  was  done,  and  felt 
that  he  was  prepared  to  die.  Though  he  had 
desired  to  live  for  the  benefit  of  the  Church  and 
his  family,  it  now  being  clear  to  his  mind  that 
God  was  about  to  receive  him,-  he  acquiesced  in 
the  divine  will,  and  made  arrangements  for  his 
funeral  and  burial-place.  He  then  expressed  a 
desire  that  his  family  should  be  cared  for  in 
their  coining  bereavement,  and  next  directed- 
messages  of  love  to  his  absent  relatives,  espe- 
cially to  his  aged  mother.  This  being  done,  he 
quoted  the  language  of  St.  Paul  to  Timothy,  "  I 
am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought  a  good 
fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept 
the  faith  ;  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a 
crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the 
righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day  :  and 
not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love 
his  appearing," — saying  that  he  could  fully 
adopt  the-  language  of  the  apostle.  On  speak- 
ing of  the  pain  of  being  separated  from  those 
whom  he  loved  on  earth,  he  added,  "  But  I  ex- 
pect to  meet  friends  in  heaven.  I  expect  soon 
to  meet  a  Creagh,  a  Stopford.  a  Smith,  and 
others  who  have  gone  before."  I  then  inquired 
of  him  in  regard  to  the  ground  of  his  hope  in 
heaven.  He  answered,  "The  atonement  of 
Christ.  This  is  a  sufficient  ground  of  hope.  It 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  221 

saves  me.  I  am  a  sinner  saved  by  grace." 
After  praying  with  him  I  left,  expecting  to  see 
him  alive  no  more  on  earth ;  but  he  lingered  a 
few  days,  and  I  saw  him  once  more ;  but  he 
was  so  weak  that  he  could  not  raise  his  head 
from  his  pillow,  neither  had  he  sufficient  strength 
to  articulate,  but  gave  assurance  that  all  was 
well,  and  soon  after  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  On 
Sunday  afternoon,  October  1,  his  remains  were 
taken  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
New  Milford,  where  his  funeral  sermon  was 
preached  to  a  large  and  solemn  congregation. 


CHARLES   BARTLETT. 

Charles  Bartlett,  son  of  Rev.  Horace  Bart- 
lett, was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  July 
11,  1821.  "When  about  eighteen,  on  a  public 
profession  of  religion,  he  united  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  New  Haven.  After 
being  a  student  in  the  Wesley  an  University  for 
nearly  two  years,  he  was  placed  by  the  Presid- 
ing Elder,  Rev.  B.  Creagh,  at  Wolcottville. 
Brother  Bartlett  united  with  the  New  York 
Conference,  and  passed  his  probation  and  ex- 
amination honorably.  He  had  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  his  brethren  in  all  the  places  to 
which  he  had  been  appointed.  He  was  the 
honored  instrument  of  saving  souls  in  every 


222  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

field  of  labor.  He  was  of  a  feeble  constitution, 
and  had  been  in  declining  health  for  some 
months  previous  to  his  death,  so  that  he  began 
to  think  of  retiring  from  his  favorite  work  of 
preaching  the  Gospel. 

Brother  Bartlett  enjoyed  the  full  confidence 
and  respect  of  all  his  brethren  in  the  ministry. 
Deeply  conscientious,  of  strict  integrity,  and 
affable  disposition,  he  adomed  the  Christian 
profession,  and  devoted  himself  to  his  pastoral 
avocation  with  great  sincerity  and  zeal.  As  a 
husband,  son,  brother,  and,  for  a  little  while, 
father,  he  was  all  to  which  the  heart  may  ven- 
ture to  cling,  always  making  home  delightful 
by  those  traits  that  are  the  most  conspicuous  in 
the  family  circle. 

The  peculiar  afflictions  of  Brother  Bartlett 
affected  his  mind,  so  that  he  was  thought  to  be 

o 

in  a  state  of  mental  depression,  ending  in  insan- 
ity. He  was  laboring  very  acceptably  at  Darien 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  Novem- 
ber 2;  1854:.  His  remains  were  removed  for  in- 
terment to  New  Haven,  where  his  venerable 
father  resided.  He  was  followed  to  his  grave 
by  all  his  official  board,  and  many  of  his  congre- 
gation from  Darien,  who  most  sincerely  mourned 
over  him.  On  the  12th  November  a  sermon 
was  preached  by  the  Rev.  H.  Bangs  to  the 
stricken  flock  at  Darien,  and  such  was  the  re- 
spect of  the  community  for  him,  that  the  Con- 


MEMORIES.  223 

gregational  Church  and  their  minister,  Rev.  Mr. 
Kenny,  were  present  to  express  their  grief  on 
the  occasion. 

In  concluding  this  brief  notice,  we  would  add 
a  few  lines  from  a  letter  that  our  departed 
brother  wrote  to  his  father  a  few  days  before  his 
death  :  "  The  good  Lord  gave  me  a  precious  day 
yesterday,  and  I  believe  souls  felt  the  force  of 
divine  truth.  I  feel  more  than  ever  the  neces- 
sity of  preaching  for  souls,  for  I  frequently  think 
I  shall  soon  be  deprived  of  the  privilege,  for  I 
regard  it  as  a  '  privilege,'  to  call  sinners  to  the 
Saviour.  I  feel  that  the  good  Lord  is  daily 
with  me,  though  at  times  I  feel  quite  depressed 
in  spirits,  yet  have  faith  in  God." 


DAVID   MILLER 

David  Miller  was  born  in  New  Hartford, 
Conn.,  November  24,  1792.  His  father,  David 
Miller,  Esq.,  was  among  the  first  who  united 
with  the  Methodist  Church  in  Litchfield  County. 

Brother ,  Miller  commenced  his  labors,  as  a 
probationer,  in  the  New  York  Conference  in 
1816.  His  early  labors  were  within  the  bounds 
of  his  own  State,  where  he  was  esteemed  as  one 
of  our  ministerial  pioneers. 

As  a  preacher,  Brother  Miller  was  plain  and 
practical,  relying  upon  the  power  of  the  truth, 


224  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

which  he  endeavored  always  to  proclaim  in  the 
spirit  of  one  "  determined  not  to  know  any 
thing  among  men  save  Jesus  Christ  and  him 
crucified."  Although  he  had  his  full  share  of 
feeble  appointments,  yet  he  always  went  to  his 
work  without  a  word  of  complaint.  He  was  a 
man  of  good  judgment,  acting  discreetly  in  his 
own  affairs,  and  reliable  in  the  counsel  he  gave 
to  others. 

For  several  years  he  was  employed  as  chap- 
lain in  the  State  Prison  at  Wethersfield,  giving 
full  satisfaction  because  of  his  fidelity  and  sym- 
pathy. 

At  the  session  of  the  Conference  in  1855  he  was 
appointed  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Hartford  Dis-  • 
trict,  the  duties  of  which  position  he  performed 
faithfully,  usefully,  and  acceptably  until  the  day 
of  his  death.  On  the  26th  of.December  of  that 
year,  having  just  alighted  from  his  carriage  in 
Bristol,  Conn.,  a  sudden  attack  of  apoplexy  pros- 
trated him  to  the  earth,  and  in  a  few  moments 
his  spirit  departed.  Thus  solemnly  are  we  ad- 
monished to  "  be  also  ready."  Though  his  de- 
parture was  in  the  "  twinkling  of  an  eye,"  yet 
we  believe,  from  the  purity  of  his  life,  the  meek- 
ness of  his  spirit,  and  the  consistent  testimony 
of  his  faith,  that  he  was  suddenly  caught  up  to 
share  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  225 

PARMELE  CHAMBERLIN. 

Pannele  Chamberlin  was  born  at  Dalton, 
Berkshire  County,  Mass.,  August  11. 1801.  At 
the  early  age  of  sixteen  he  experienced  religion, 
and  preached  his  first  sermon  when  but  eighteen 
years  of  age.  With  great  energy  he  devoted 
himself  to  a  preparation  for  the  ministry,  and 
was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Xew  York  Confer- 
ence in  1823.  In  the  various  appointments 
where  he  labored,  some  of  which  were  among 
the  more  important,  he  sustained  the  character 
of  an  instructive  and  useful  preacher,  a  faithful 
Pastor,  and  an  exemplary  Christian.  Where 
best  known  he  was  most  affectionately  re- 
spected. As  a  friend,  he  was  ever  reliable ;  as 
a  man,  he  evinced  great  integrity  of  character, 
and  in  his  personal  intercourse  was  affable  to 
all. 

During  his  ministry  he  suffered  from  no  less 
than  eight  attacks  of  quinsy,  the  last  of  which 
was  in  1855.  This  illness  was  succeeded  by  the 
malady  which  terminated  his  life.  His  mind 
becoming  much  impaired,  he  retired  from  his 
work,  and  in  the  spring  of  1855  removed  to 
Morristown,  X.  J.  Subsequently  he  was  placed 
under  eminent  medical  treatment  at  Trenton, 
N.  J.,  and  after  an  absence  of  some  five  months, 
returned  home  considerably  improved.  This' 
improvement,  however,  was  only  transient,  aa 
15 


226  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

in  a  short  time  a  reaction  manifested  itself,  and 
his  health  broke  down  again,  while  he  became 
extremely  desponding.  In  March,  1856,  he  re- 
turned to  Trenton  to  have  the  treatment  of  his 
former  physician.  His  system  gradually  yet 
perceptibly  sank  under  the  severity  of  his  mal- 
ady. In  his  last  days  the  lucid  intervals  were 
but  few  and  brief.  These  moments,  however, 
were  sufficient  to  show  the  unbroken  power  of 
his  faith  in  God. 

His  sufferings  terminated  on  the  6th  of  June, 
when  his  spirit  departed  to  that  rest  which  he 
had  lived  to  portray  to  others,  and  of  which  he 
ever  entertained  a  lively  hope  in  his  own  heart. 
His  remains  were  conveyed  to  the  residence  of 
his  family  in  Mendham,  N.  J.  A  number  of 
his  friends  from  his  former  charge  in  Second- 
street,  New  York,  accompanied  by  their  Pastor, 
Rev.  C.  Shelling,  evinced  their  respect  and  sym- 
pathy by  their  presence  at  his  funeral.  The 
occasion  was  also  improved  by  a  sermon  by 
Rev.  Bishop  Janes.  He  sleeps  in  Jesus. 


m 

JOHN  MORRIS  PEASE. 

John  Morris  Pease  was  born  in  Columbia 
County,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  in  the  year 
1811,  and  was  admitted  into  the  traveling  con- 
nection in  1834.  He  filled  with  acceptability 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  227 

various  appointments  until  the  year  1847,  when 
sickness  compelled  him  to  take  a  supernumerary 
relation,  and  the  three  following  years  his  name 
is  found  upon  the  superannuated  list.  In  1851, 
his  health  being  partially  restored,  he  accepted 
an  agency  for  the  Colonization  Society,  in  whose 
service  he  continued,  with  the  exception  of  a 
short  interval  devoted  to  the  Brooklyn  Home 
Mission,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  the 
residence  of  the  Rev.  B.  I.  Ives,*at  Auburn,  N. 
y.,  on  September  29,  1856.  He  left  a  widow, 
the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  N.  White,  of  his  Con- 
ference, and  five  children. 

He  was  an  able  preacher,  and  in  most  of  the 
places  where  he  labored  the  Lord  gave  him  seals 
to  his  ministry.  By  the  Society  in  whose  serv- 
ice he  spent  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  he  was 
held  in  high  esteem  as  an  eloquent  and  zealous 
friend  of  the  cause  of  colonization.  That  Soci- 
ety has  had  few  more  successful  agents,  none 
more  devoted  and  untiring. 

He  was  called  upon  to  meet  death  away  from 
relatives ;  but  kind  friends  ministered  unto 
him ;  and  although  clouds  and  darkness,  temp- 
tations and  doubts,  for  a  season  gathered  about 
him  in  that  last  struggle,  we  have  the  assur- 
ance that  suddenly,  through  the  influence  of 
wrestling,  struggling  prayefc  light  broke  upon 
the  soul,  and  he  was  heard  to  exclaim  joyfully, 
"  I've  conquered  at  last !  I've  conquered  at  last  1" 


228  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

EBENEZER  WASHBURN. 

Ebenezer  Washburn  was  born  in  Worcester 
County,  Mass.,  October,  1772.  He  united  with 
the  New  York  Conference  in  1801,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  three  years,  continued  in  an  effect- 
ive relation  until  184-3.  But  few  men  have  sus- 
tained themselves  so  long  in  public  life  with 
greater  consistency  of  character,  humility,  piety, 
and  zeal.  He  was  an  able  and  successful 
preacher  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  and  was  uni- 
versally respected  and  beloved.  He  died  in 
peace  December  29,  1857,  at  Racine,  Wis. 


HORACE  BARTLETT. 

Horace  Bartlett  was  born  in  Portland,  Conn., 
January,  1793,  and  died  in  New  Haven,  Conn., 
February  3,  1858.  He  experienced  religion  in 
1814,  and  joined  the  New  York  Conference  in 
1822.  His  religious  life  was  characterized  by 
high  integrity  and  uniform  piety.  As  a  minis- 
ter, he  loved  his  work,  and  in  it  had  considera- 
ble success.  Amid  the  pains  and  prostration  of 
a  protracted  illness,  he  exhibited  an  entire  sub- 
mission to  the  Divine  will,  unfailing  confidence 
in  his  Savipur,  ancTjoyous  hope  of  heaven. 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  229 


MITCHELL  B.  BT 

Mitchell  B.  Bull  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  He 
experienced  religion  in  his  fourteenth  year,  and 
in  1803  he  united  with  the  New  York  Confer- 
ence. He  was  ever  active  and  useful  in  the 
Church,  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  an  able 
and  earnest  preacher.  But  in  consequence  of 
ill  health  he  was  compelled  to  retire,  after  sus- 
taining an  effective  relation  eight  years.  Dur- 
ing his  last  severe  illness  his  inind  was  clear, 
calm,  and  cheerful— rich  in  patience,  faith,  and 
hope.  As  evidence  of  attachment  to  the  Church 
and  his  ministerial  brethren,  he  bequeathed  nine 
thousand  dollars  to  various  religious  and  benev- 
olent institutions. 


SAMUEL  W.  SMITH. 

Samuel  W.  Smith  was  born  and  converted  in 
England.  At  the  early  age  of  nineteen  he  be- 
gan to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  in  1834  joined 
the  itinerant  ministry.  As  a  man  and  a  Chris- 
tian, he  was  most  loved  by  those  who  knew  him 
best ;  as  a  preacher,  he  was  instructive  and  edi- 
fying. His  last  illness  was  brief  but  severe,  yet 
his  mind  was  peaceful  and  serene.  A  short 
time  before  his  death  he  remarked,  "  This  is  a 
wonderful  day ;  heaven  and  earth  have  come 


230  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

very  near  tog<Jber."  "  Jesus  is  very,  very  pre- 
cious ;  he  is  my  Saviour."  In  this  state  of  mind 
he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus  March  16, 1858,  being  in 
the  forty-sixth  year  of  his  age  and  the  twenty- 
fourth  of  his  ministry. 


SAMUEL  WARREN  LAW. 

Samuel  Warren  Law,  son  of  the  Kev.  Joseph 
Law,  of  the  New  York  East  Conference,  was 
born  in  Marlborough,  Ulster  County,  N.  Y., 
November  1821.  In  his  fourteenth  year  he 
made  a  public  profession  of  religion.  His  con- 
version was  clear.  In  1841  he  entered  the  itin- 
erancy. He  had  many  excellences  and  was  an 
able  and  successful  minister.  His  death,  which 
occurred  April  28, 1857,  was  such  as  his  life  had 
promised — calm,  confiding,  and  peaceful. 


JOSEPH  FABGHER. 

Joseph  Fargher  was  born  in  the  Isle  of  Man. 
He  was  converted  to  God  in  his  youth,  and 
commenced  his  ministerial  work  at  the  age  of 
nineteen.  He  was  received  on  trial  in  the  New 
Tcork  East  Conference  in  1855,  and  preached 
Christ  faithfully,  acceptably,  and  successfully. 
On  the  first  of  June,  1857,  while  conversing  on 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  231 

the  power  and  preciousness  of  that  Gospel  he 
was  sent  to  preach,  he  suddenly  fell  back  into 
the  arms  of  a  friend,  and,  without  a  struggle  or 
groan,  ceased  at  once  to  work  and  live. 


JOHN   NIXON. 

John  Nixon  was  born  in  the  County  of  Ty- 
rone, Ireland,  April,  1789.  His  parents  were 
converted  under  the  preaching  of  Rev.  John 
Wesley.  He  was  much  addicted  to  the  reading 
of  the  Scriptures  in  his  youth,  and  at  this  period 
of  his  life  experienced  justifying  grace.  He  soon 
commenced  praying  and  exhorting  in  public, 
and  after  a  time  was  employed  to  fill  vacancies 
for  the  traveling  preachers.  He  was  finally  ap- 
pointed to  a  circuit,  and  traveled  four  or  five 
years.  He  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1820, 
and  preached  in  Connecticut,  under  the  Presid- 
ing Elder,  until  the  next  session  of  the  New 
York  Conference,  when  he  wras  admitted  on 
trial.  For  the  term  of  about  twenty  years  he 
continued  in  the  regular  work,  filling  many  ap- 
pointments on  circuits  with  various  success. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  had  been  on  the 
superannuated  list,  and  in  gradually  declining 
health.  A  few.  months  before  his  death  he 
buried  an  affectionate  wife,  after  which  his  de- 
cay was  more  rapid.  On  the  18th  of  Decem- 


232  SACKED  MEMORIES, 

her,  1859,  he  died  at  the  house  of  his  brother- 
in-law,  M.  Liddington,  Caroline,  Tompkins 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  the  seventy-first  year  of  his 
age  and  the  forty-fifth  of  his  ministry.  "  He 
was,"  says  his  brother,  "  sensible  to  the  last, 
and  died  extremely  happy." 


JOSEPH  D.  MARSHALL. 

Joseph  D.  Marshall  died  in  Brooklyn,  Janu- 
ary 9,  1860.  He  was  born  in  Stamford,  Conn., 
in  November,  1804.  His  parents  were  members 
of  the  Congregational  Church.  While  but  a 
child,  his  amiability  and  love  of  prayer  led 
many  who  knew  him  to  call  him  "  the  pious 
boy."  At  about  the  age  of  nineteen  he  went  to 
the  village  of  Peekskill,  and  engaged  as  clerk 
with  a  mercantile  firm  of  that  place.  In  this 
service  he  exhibited  such  capacity  and  fidelity 
for  four  years,  that  when,  at  the  close  of  that 
period,  he  proposed  to  enter  the  itinerant  min- 
istry, his  employers,  to  retain  him,  offered  to 
receive  him  as  a  partner  of  the  firm.  He  was 
converted  when  about  twenty  years  old,  and 
immediately  exhibited  his  zeal  and  the  genuine- 
ness of  his  piety  in  improving  his  gifts  at  every 
opportunity  to  advance  the  cause  of  Christ. 
Yery  soon  after  his  conversion  he  was  impressed 
with  the  belief  that  God  had  called  him  to  preach 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  233 

the  word,  and  though  very  promising  worldly 
inducements  were  offered  him  to  remain  in  mer- 
cantile life,  he  conferred  not  with  flesh  and 
blood.  He  joined  the  New  York  Conference  in 
1827,  and  was  appointed  for  two  successive  years 
to  Kingston  Circuit.  It  was  an  eight-weeks  cir- 
cuit, requiring  much  labor,  and  he  saw  as  the 
fruit  of  his  labors  large  additions  to  the  Church. 
He  organized  Sabbath-schools  in  all  parts  of  the 
circuit,  and  many  hundred  children  were  gath- 
ered into  them.  In  1829  he  was  appointed  to 
New  Paltz  Circuit.  In  1830  and  1831  he  was 
stationed  at  Flushing. .  They  were  years  of  con- 
siderable ministerial  success.  In  1832  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Troy  Conference,  and  for  two 
years  was  on  St.  Albans  Circuit,  and  for  one 
year  each  at  Peru,  at  Charlotte  and  Shelburne, 
and  at  Wesley  Chapel,  Albany.  In  the  spring 
of  1837  he  was  retransferred  to  the  New  York 
Conference,  and  appointed  to  Windham  Circuit, 
and  the  following  year,  1838,  to  Sag  Harbor. 
During  his  labors  at  Sag  Harbor  his  health 
failed,  and  in  the  spring  of  1839  he  took  a  su- 
perannuated relation.  His  health  improving, 
the  ensuing  fall  he  began  effective  service  again 
on  Spencertown  Circuit,  and  at  the  next  Con- 
ference was  reappointed  to  the  same  charge. 
In  1841  he  was  appointed  to  Hudson.  Again 
his  health  failed,  and  he  was  compelled  the  fol- 
lowing year  to  be  returned  superannuated.  At 


234:  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

the  Conference  in  1843  be  was  once  more  in  the 
effective  ranks,  and  was  successively  appointed 
to  Goshen,  Conn.,  for  two  years,  to  Birmingham 
for  one  year,  to  Heading  for  two  years,  and  to 
New  Canaan  for  two  years.  In  the  autumn  of 
the  second  year  at  New  Canaan  his  health  again 
failed,  and  from  the  ensuing  Conference  to  the 
time  of  his  death  he  held  a  superannuated  rela- 
tion, and  has  resided  in  Brooklyn,  known  in  all 
the  churches  around,  and  beloved  by  all  who 
knew  him. 

Brother  Marshall's  success  and  character  as  a 
minister  of  Christ  is  well  proved  by  the  many 
that  he  gathered  in  the  Churches,  and  the  re- 
spect and  aifection  that  he  secured  in  all  his 
charges.  Many  hundreds  in  "  that  da^ "  will 
rise  up  to  call  him  blessed.  His  industry  and 
perseverance  were  only  limited  by  the  attain- 
ment of  the  good  results  at  which  he  aimed. 
He  combined  with  great  catholicity  to  all  Chris- 
tians, an  ardent  love  and  devotion  to  his  own 
Church.  He  magnified  his  office  as  a  Pastor  in 
all  the  Churches  committed  to  his  care.  He 
was  a  devoted  husband  and  parent,  and  no  sac- 
rifices or  efforts  that  he  could  make  for  the 
comfort  and  honor  of  his  family  were  considered 
too  great.  He  was  characterized  for  his  equa- 
nimity of  disposition,  and  the  pure  tone  of  his 
devotional  and  experimental  piety.  He  was 
confined  to  the  house  by  his  last  sickness  less 


SACEED  MEMORIES.  235 

than  three  weeks.  During  much  oi  this^time 
his  physical  sufferings  were  intense,  yet  not  one 
word  of  complaint  escaped  him.  Often  he  de- 
clared his  faith  in  Christ  as  "  a  full  Saviour," 
"  a  present  Saviour,"  "  a  good  hope,"  and  "  pre- 
cious." In  view  of  his  approaching  death  he 
said,  "  We're  nearing  the  heavenly  world,"  "  all 
things  work  together  for  good,"  and  at  the  last 
quietly  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 


• 
NICHOLAS  WHITE. 

Nicholas  "White  was  born  in  Middletown, 
Rutland  County,  Yt.,  June  8,  1786,  and  died 
in  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  N".  Y.,  February  14, 
1861.  He  became  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  1810,  was  licensed  to 
exhort  in  1811,  was  received  on  trial  in  the  New 
York  Conference  in  1813,  and  appointed  to  the 
Plattsburgh  Circuit,  and  continued  there  in 
1814.  In  1815  he  was  ordained  Deacon,  and 
appointed  to  the  Charlotte  Circuit.  During 
this  year  he  was  stricken  down  with  a  pulmo- 
nary attack.  The  bleeding  from  his  lungs  was 
eo  profuse  and  obstinate  that  for  months  but 
little  hope  was  entertained  of  his  recovery.  He 
held,  the  relation  of  superannuate  during  the 
year  1816-1 T,  and  was  appointed  to  the  Char- 
lotte Circuit  in  the  year  1818-19  ;  in  1820  he 


236  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

traveled  the  St.  Albans  Circuit ;  1821-22,  New 
Winisor;  1823,  Newburgh  ;  1824,  New  Paltz ; 
1825,  Duchess  ;  in  1826-27  he  was  stationed  in 
the  city  of  New  York ;  1828-29,  Mount  Pleas- 
ant Circuit;  1830-31,  Cortlandt ;  1832,  Head- 
ing; 1833,  Saugatuck  ;  and  in  1834,  Duchess 
again.  From  1835  to  1838  inclusive  he  was 
Presiding  Elder  on  the  Delaware  District,  and 
in  1839  was  Presiding  Elder  on  the  White 
Plains  District,  and  from  1840  to  1843  inclusive 
was  Presiding  Elder  on  the  Poughkeepsie  Dis- 
trict. During  the  years  1844-45  he  was  at  the 
Asbury  Charge,  city  of  New  York ;  1847-48, 
Eighteenth-street,  New  York  city ;  1848-49, 
Newtown,  L.  I.  ;  1850-51,  Carlton  Avenue,  in 
the  city  of  Brooklyn  ;  and  in  1852-53,  Dean- 
street  Charge,  same  city.  While  on  this  charge 
he  buried  his  beloved  wife,  and  here  he  closed 
his  effective  labors  as  an  itinerant  preacher.  In 
1854  he  was  again  superannuated,  and  in  this 
relation  he  continued  until  his  Master  called 
him  home.  He  was  twice  a  representative  of 
the  New  York  Conference  in  the  General  Con- 
ference. 

Brother  White  was  a  good  man.  The  writer 
of  this  commenced  his  special  acquaintance  with 
him  in  May,  1818,  as  his  assistant  on  the  Char- 
lotte Circuit  in  Ylrmont,  and  was  his  assistant 
again  on  the  St.  Albans  Circuit  in  1820;  has 
followed  him  in  other  fields  of  labor,  and  never 


*  SACRED  MEMORIES.  237 

yet  heard  a  whisper  against  his  moral  or  Chris- 
tian character,  but,  on  the  contrary,  has  uni- 
formly heard  him  spoken  of  as  a  true  disciple,  a 
sincere  and  devoted  follower  of  the  meek  and 
lowly  Jesus. 

He  was  a  Methodist  from  principle,  and 
heartily  subscribed  to  its  doctrines,  and  consci- 
entiously conformed  to  its  discipline,  yet  was 
truly  catholic  in  spirit  and  practice,  loving,  and 
in  every  reasonable  way  manifesting  his  love,  to 
all  who  bore  the  image  and  performed  the  work 
of  his  divine  Master. 

As  a  Methodist  preacher,  he  was  orthodox, 
animated,  ardent,  successful,  and  loyal ;  heartily 
acknowledging  the  authority  of  the  General  Con- 
ference to  make  rules  and  regulations  for  the 
edification  and  government  of  the  Church.  Like 
a  true  son  in  the  Gospel,  he  yielded  implicit 
obedience  to  authority,  and  cheerfully  kept, 
without  attempting  to  mend,  the  rules  of  the 
Church.  He  rests  from  his  labors,  and  his 
works  do  follow  him. 


NOBLE  W.  THOMAS. 


Noble  "W.  Thomas,  long  honored  of  God,  and 
blessed  of  the  people,  died  in  the  triumphs  of 
the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jes^us  Christ,  at  Hemp- 


238  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

stead,  L.  I.,  on  the  12th  of  May,  I860,  in  the 
seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age. 

Brother  Thomas  was  born  December  5,  1781, 
in  New  Brunswick,  1ST.  J.  His  father  was  Rev. 
Samuel  Thomas,  who  for  many  years  served 
God  and  his  generation  well  in  the  active  la- 
bors of  the  itinerant  ministry  in  a  day  when  the 
term  itinerant  had  a  meaning. 

The  subject  of  our  memoir  was  converted  to 
God  in  the  year  1797,  and  entered  the  arduous 
field  of  the  ministerial  labor  of  that  pioneering 
age  of  Methodism  in  the  year  1803,  in  the 
New  England  Conference.  His  first  appoint- 
ment was  to  Providence,  R.  I.,  to  which 
place  he  journeyed  all  the  way  on  horseback 
from  his  native  State,  New  Jersey.  To  use  hia 
own  words,  descriptive  of  those  early  days  of 
Methodist  preaching,  "We  lived  most  of  the 
time  on  horseback,  and  carried  all  we  were 
worth  in  our  saddle-bags."  In  1804  he  went 
on  the  Pomfret  Circuit,  Conn.,  and  in  1805  he 
was  admitted  into  full  connection  and  ordained 
Deacon,  and  appointed  to  the  Tolland  Circuit. 
The  next  year  he  was  transferred  to  the  New 
York  Conference,  and  appointed  to  the  Cam- 
bridge Circuit.  In  1807  he  was  ordained  Elder, 
and  appointed  to  Pittsfield,  after  which  he  trav- 
eled successively  the  Circuits  of  Reading,  Mid- 
dletown,  New  Rochelle,  Jamaica,  L.  L,  Sag 
Harbor,  L.  L,  Cortlandt,  Duchess,  Rhinebeck, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  239 

Jamaica,  L.  I.,  (a  second  time,)  Croton,  and 
again,  a  second  time,  at  New  Rochelle,  Stam- 
ford, Conn.,  Suffolk,  L.  I.,  and  here  the  most 
powerful  revival  of  religion  attended  his  earnest 
labors,  with  which  his  useful  life  was  blessed. 
And  to  the  latest  period  of  his  life  he  loved  to 
repeat  the  story  of  "  the  wonderful  struggle 
he  had  with  the  powers  of  darkness"  on  an 
occasion  of  a  protracted  meeting,  when  in  an 
agony  of  prayer  he  exclaimed,  "  Give  me  vic- 
tory or  give  me  death  ! "  when  suddenly  the 
power  of  the  Most  High  overshadowed  the  as- 
sembly, and  it  seemed  as  if  the  place  where  they 
were  met  was  shaken  to  the  foundation.  His 
next  appointment  was  to  Hcmpstead,  L.  L,  and 
which  now  embraced  what  was  formerly  Ja- 
maica Circuit,  thus  really  being  appointed  a 
third  time  to  this  field  of  labor.  Again  in 
1830-31  he  was  appointed  a  second  time  to 
Mount  Pleasant,  and  the  two  following  years 
to  New  "Windsor. 

In  1834  he  received  his  last  appointment  at 
Saugatuck.  Here  his  health  failing,  he  took,  at 
the  following  Annual  Conference,  a  superannu- 
ated relation,  which  he  maintained  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  Having  spent  thirty-two 
years  of  active  labor,  the  remaining  twenty-five 
years  of  his  life  were  passed  in  exemplifying  the 
great  grace  of  contentment,  in  the  retirement 
of  private  life ;  cheered,  however,  by  the  faith- 


24:0  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

fill  companionship  of  one  who  had  solaced  his 
ministry  almost  from  the  time  of  his  entering 
upon  it,  until  the  day  of  his  death.  His  end  was 
just  such  as  described  by  the  inspired  penman : 
"  The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light, 
which  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect 
day." 


PHINEAS   COOK. 

Phineas  Cook  was  born  in  Greenfield,  Mass., 
March  10,  1784 ;  experienced  religion  in  Barre, 
Yt.,  May,  1800,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  June  following;  was  licensed 
to  preach,  and  recommended  to  the  J^ew  York 
Conference,  from  Yershire  Circuit,  as  a  proper 
person  to  be  admitted  as  a  traveling  preacher. 
Hetwas  admitted  on  trial  at  the  Conference  held 
at  Ashgrove,  Cambridge,  K  Y.,  July  1,  1803. 
He  was  received  into  full  connection  and  or- 
dained Deacon  in  1805,  and  ordained  Elder  in 
1807.  His  parents  were  among  the  first  fruits 
of  Methodist  preaching,  and  their  house  became 
not  only  the  home  of  the  preachers,  but  the  place 
for  public  worship ;  so  that  young  Phineas  was 
well  acquainted  with  the  peculiarities,  trials, 
and  reproaches  of  Methodism.  His  conversion 
was  clear,  his  piety  sincere  and  earnest,  and 
marked  with  those  traits  of  activity  that  com- 
mended him  to  the  confidence  and  affection  of 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  241 

his  brethren.  He  was  naturally  of  a  warm  and 
lively  temperament,  with  an  open  heart  and 
generous  frankness,  and  great  kindness,  which 
rendered  him  an  agreeable  companion. 

Brother  Cook's  preaching  talent  was  respect- 
able both  for  variety  and  strength.  He  was  a 
faithful  laborer,  useful  and  acceptable  in  the 
various  fields  of  his  work,  whether  in  the  country 
or  city,  on  circuits  or  stations.  He  had  his  full 
share  of  the  toils  and  trials  of  the  early  itiner- 
ants, and  continued  some  forty  years  an  effect- 
ive preacher;  and  when  health  failed  he  was 
placed  upon  the  superannuated  list,  and  retained 
tfle  confidence  and  affection  of  his  brethren  un- 
til he  was  called  to  his  final  reward.  He  died 
at%echanicsville,  K  T.,  May  26,  1861,  in  fel- 
lowship with  the  Church,  in  peace  with  God 
through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  hope  of  a 
glorious  immortality  and  eternal  life. 


JOHN  J.  ^MATTHIAS. 

John  J.  Matthias  departed  this  life  September 
25,  1861,  in  Tarry  town,  the  place  of  his  birth 
and  early  childhood.  His  father  was  for  many 
years  a  valued  minister  among  us.  John  J. 
Matthias  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  New  York 
Conference  in  1817.  He  was  transferred  to  the 
Philadelphia  Conference  in  1831.  In  1836  he 
16 


• 


242  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

was  stationed  at  Nazareth  Church,  in  the  city 
of  Philadelphia.  During  this  year  his  health 
failed,  and  at  the  next  Conference  he  took  a 
superannuated  relation.  While  sustaining  this 
relation,  the  Pennsylvania  and  New  York  Col- 
onization Societies  appointed  him  Governor  of 
Bassa  Cove,  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  where 
he  continued  about  a  year,  filling  the  station  of 
governor  with  ability  and  usefulness,  and  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  societies.  In  1842  he  became 
effective,  and  was  transferred  to  the  New  York 
Conference,  in  which  relation  he  continued  un- 
til 1852,  which  year  he  passed  as  supernume^r- 
ary.  In  1853  he  was  effective.  In  1854  he  was 
obliged  to  superannuate ;  but  at  the  ensuing- 
Conference  his  relation  was  changed  to  effective, 
and  in  1855  he  was  appointed  chaplain  to  the 
Seaman's  Friend  Retreat  on  Staten  Island.  He 
was  well  adapted  to  the  duties  of  this  position, 
and  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  the 
officers  and  managers  of  that  institution.  His 
enfeebled  health  compejled  him  to  resign  his 
chaplaincy  in  1858  and  to  ask  for  a  superannu- 
ated relation. 

In  all  his  work  he  was  punctual  and  patient, 
firm  and  affectionate,  sparing  no  labor  or  sacri- 
fice to  promote  the  cause  of  God  and  the  com- 
iort  of  his  brethren.  As  a  Presiding  Elder  he 
was  much  beloved.  "He  was  a  high-minded, 
intelligent,  and  honorable  man,"  of  refined 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  243 

taste,  delicate  feelings,  with  dignified  and  affa- 
ble manners.  He  was  faithful  as  a  pastor,  and 
particularly  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the 
Sabbath-school.  He  was  often  truly  eloquent 
in  preaching,  and  exceedingly  happy  in  his 
illustrations. 

His  last  illness  was  brief  bnt  painful.  One 
night,  amid  his  sufferings,  he  requested  his  wife 
to  repeat  to  him  the  lines, 

"  Jesus,»thy  blood  and  righteousness 
My  beauty  are,  my  glorious  dress." 

He  remarked,  "  How  beautiful ! "  On  the  day 
of  his  death  he  said  to  Mrs.  Matthias,  among 
other  words  of  consolation,  "  If  disembodied 
spirits  are  permitted  to  return  to  this  world  I 
will  love  to  be  with  you."  About  midnight  lie 
entered  into  rest.  The  Sabbath  but  one  before 
his  death  he  preached  his  last  sermon  from  the 
text.  "And  there  shall  be  no  more  death." 


JOSEPH   LAW. 

Joseph  Law  was  born  in  Washington  County, 
N.  T.,  on  the  10th  of  October,  1798.  He  was 
converted  to  God  at  Newburgh  in  the  year 
1815,  and  admitted  on  trial  in  the  New  York 
Conference  in  1830.  having  previously  served 
the  Church  eight  years  as  a  Local  Preacher. 


SACRED  MEMORIES. 

& 

He  had  not  the  advantages  of  earl}  education, 
but,  by  diligent  study  and  unwearied  persever- 
ance, he  qualified  himself  for  extensive  useful- 
ness in  the  Church.  The  larger  portion  of  his 
ministerial  life  was  spent  in  various  appoint- 
ments in  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Brook- 
lyn, having  been  in  charge  of  Second-street, 
Duane-street,  Sullivan-street,  and  Cherry-street, 
in  the  former,  and  of  the  Centenary  Church, 
York-street,  South  Third-street,  Franklin  Av- 
enue, Dean-street,  and  "Warren-street,  in  the 
latter.  Among  the  other  appointments  which 
he  filled  were  New  Haven  First  and  New 
Haven  Second  Church,  Hartford,  and  Win- 
stead,  Conn.,  and  Hempstead,  L.  I.  During 
the  latter  years  of  his  ministry  he  was  occu- 
pied almost  constantly  in  the  work  of  church 
building,  five  of  the  largest  church  edifices 
in  *he  city  of  Brooklyn  having  been  erected 
under  his  supervision.  As  a  laborer  in  the  vine- 
yard of  our  Lord  he  was  diligent  and  faithful : 
as  a  preacher,  eminently  practical  and  success- 
ful ;  sound  as  a  theologian ;  and  as  a  pastor, 
watchful  and  beloved. 

At  the  session  of  1861  it  was  evident  that  his 
work  was  almost  done,  and  he  received  a 
superannuated  relation.  Less  than  two  months 
thereafter,  namely,  on  the  llth  of  June,  he 
died  of  typhoid  fever  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn 
On  his  dying  bed  he  frequently  requested  tLe 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  "  245 

sorrowing  friends  around  him  to  sing ;  and  a  lit- 
tle before  his  spirit  departed,  as  they  were  sing- 
ing these  lines  from  one  of  his  favorite  hymns, 

''  On  Jordan's  stormy  banks  I  stand, 

And  cast  a  wistful  eye 
To  Canaan's  fair  and  happy  land, 

Where  my  possessions  lie," 

his  eye  kindled  with  rapture,  and  he  gave  the 
whispered  assurance,  "  All  is  well." 


JACOB    SHAW. 

Jacob  Shaw  died  at  Redding,  Conn.,  in  April, 
1861.  He  joined  the  itinerant  ministry  in  the 
New  York  Conference  in  1831,  and  from  that 
time  until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death  occu- 
pied various  stations  and  circuits  in  the  New 
York  and  New  York  East  Conferences  with 
success  and  great  acceptability  to  the  people. 
He  was  a  man  of  superior  mind  and  attainments, 
and  of  large  and  varied  information,  but  so 
singularly  retiring  and  unostentatious  in  his 
manner  and  habits  as  perhaps  to  be  unappre- 
ciated by  the  merely  casual  observer.  He  was 
a  genial  companion,  a  true  and  constant  friend, 
guileless  as  a  child  ;  and  those  who  knew  him 
best  loved  him  most.  As  a  Christian  minister, 
he  approved  himself  to  God,  "  a  workman  that 
needed  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the 


246  '  SACKED  MEMOEIES. 

word  of  truth."  His  preaching  was  clear,  co- 
gent, and  instructive,  often  rising  into  the  region 
of  high  and  impressive  philosophic  thought.  In 

1858  he  retired  from  the  itinerancy  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Kew  Rochelle,  the  scene  of  his  last  two 
years'  labor,  and  thence  came  in  the  spring  of 

1859  to  the  rural  village  of  Redding,  where, 
twenty  years  before,  he  had  dispensed  the  word 
of  life  to  a  loving  people.     His  fellow-citizens 
soon  showed  their  confidence  in  him,  in  appre- 
ciation of  his  talents,  by  electing  him  to  repre- 
sent them  in  the  State  Legislature. 

The  winter  of  1860-61  found  him  laboring 
hard  "  to  provide  things  honest  in  the  sight  of 
all  men  "  on  his  little  farm ;  in  a  common  school 
through  the  week ;  preaching  at  a  distance  from 
home  on  the  Sabbath ;  but  his  labors  were  be- 
yond the  power  of  endurance  of  his  failing  ener- 
gies. A  violent,  stroke  of  sickness  laid  him  low 
on  what  proved  his  deathbed,  and,  from  the 
first,  paralyzed  his  faculties.  In  the  earliest 
part  of  his  affliction  he  expressed  a  calm  and 
hopeful  trust  and  confidence  in  God  and  his 
providence ;  but  in  the  latter  part  his  mind 
wandered  until  it  sank  down  into  unconscious- 
ness, and  little  by  little  "the  weary  wheels  of 
life  stood  still."  But  although  "  he  died  and 
gave  no  sign,"  yet  his  constant  Christian  life 
assured  his  safe  and  Christian  death ;  he  had 
walked  uprightly  before  God  and  man,  and  that 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  247 

God  who  had  given  him  grace*  would  give  him 
glory  also. 

The  funeral  services  were  attended  by  persons 
of  all  classes  and  denominations,  while  tlve  ad- 
dresses of  his  Presiding  Elder  and  the  Brethren 
from  the  surrounding  charges  made  the  solemn 
occasion  one  to  be  long  and  deeply  remembered. 


CHARLES  REDFIELD. 

Charles  Redfield  was  born  in  Clinton,  Conn., 
December  2,  1820.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he 
was  powerfully  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit  under 
the  labors  of  Orlando  Starr,  and  in  his  lone 
room,  while  pleading  with  God,  he  received  the 
clear  evidence  of  adoption  into  his  family.  The 
year  following  he  sought  and  obtained  the  wit- 
ness of  perfect  love.  On  the  2d  of  December, 
1850,  while  a  student  at  Wilbraham  Academy, 
he  received  license  to  exhort,  and  the  March 
following  he  was  licensed  to  preach. 

After  the  death  of  his  widowed  mother,  at  the 
session  of  1858  he  was  received  on  trial  in  the 
New  York  East  Conference,  and  was  stationed 
at  Cutchogue,  L.  I.,  and  the  year  after  at  Matti- 
tuck  and  Jamesport.  At  the  Conference  of 
1860  he  was  admitted  into  full  connection,  or- 
dained Deacon,  and  was  appointed  to  Norwich 
and  Oyster  Bay,  where  his  labors  terminated. 


248  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  1861,  in  his  own 
family  circle,  he  spoke  of  the  delights  of  the 
heavenly  country,  and  expressed  joyful  hopes 
of  soon  reaching  the  blessed  shore.  The  same 
day  he  Vent  out  to  visit  some  of  the  members 
of  his  flock,  apparently  in  perfect  health ;  but 
as  he  was  returning  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening 
the  messenger  met  him,  and  there  the  struggles 
of  life  closed.  Thus  in  the  vigor  of  manhood, 
and  in  the  midst  of  usefulness,  he  was  suddenly 
translated  to  the  realms  of  bliss.  In  the  lan- 
guage of  another  we  may  say,  "  Few  have  been 
blest  with  such  a  death." 

Brother  Redfield  was  a  devoted  friend,  an 
earnest  Christian,  and  a  faithful  pastor.  His 
motto  was,  "  Holiness  to  the  Lord,"  and  his  life 
exemplified  the  doctrine. 


NATHAN   BANGS. 

Nathan  Bangs  was  born  in  the  town  of  Strat- 
ford, Conn.,  May  2, 1778.  When  about  thirteen 
years  old  he  accompanied  his  elder  brother  a 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  on  foot,  "  the  vanguard  " 
of  his  family,  emigrating  to  Stamford,  Delaware 
County,  New  York,  which  was  then  on  the 
western  frontier  of  the  settlements  of  the  State. 
There  he  became  a  school-teacher  and  surveyor, 
and  in  the  grand  solitudes  of  the  native  wilder- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  249 

ness  formed  studious  and  meditative  habits 
•  which  richly  contributed  to  the  development  of 
-his  intellect  and  character.  The  pioneer  itiner- 
ants of  Methodism  early  penetrated  that  remote 
region,  and  under  their  occasional  ministrations 
his  mind  was  profoundly  awakened  to  the  im- 
portance of  religion.  He  sought  relief  to  his 
troubled  spirit  in  travel,  and  in  1799  emigrated 
to  Upper  Canada,  where,  after  years  of  mental 
struggle,  he  was  again  met  by  the  Methodist 
itinerants,  and  in  the  twenty-second  year  of  his 
age  passed  from  death  unto  life,  under  the  min- 
istrations of  Rev.  Joseph  Sawyer,  whose  name 
is  still  precious  in  Canada  and  in  this  Confer- 
ence, and  whose  remains  rest  within  our  terri- 
torial boundaries.  He  suffered  severe  persecution 
for  his  new  faith ;  his  school  was  broken  up, 
and  he  was  threatened  with  personal  violence 
and  with  expulsion  from  the  settlement.  Prov- 
identially these  trials  confirmed  his  good  reso- 
lutions and  led  him  at  last  into  the  itinerant 
ministry.  In  the  month  of  August,  1801,  about 
one  year  after  he  had  joined  the  Church,  and 
three  months  after  he  had  received  license  to 
exhort,  "  I  sold,"  he  writes,  "  my  surveyor's  in- 
struments to  a  friend  whom  I  had  taught  the 
art,  purchased  a  horse,  and  rode  forth  to  sound 
the  alarm  in  the  wilderness ;  taking  no  further 
thought  what  I  should  eat  or  drink,  or  where- 
I  should  be  clothed." 


250  .  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

During  about  seven  years  he  braved  the  hard- 
ships of  the  itinerancy  in  those  boreal  regions ; 
traveling  long  circuits,  sleeping  on  the  floors  of 
log-cabins  or  in  the  woods,  fording  streams, 
sometimes  at  the  peril  of  his  life,  carrying  with 
him  food  for  himself  and  his  horse,  and  eating 
his  humble  meals  beneath  the  trees  which  shel- 
tered him  by  night,  preaching  almost  daily,  fac- 
ing wintry  storms  through  unsettled  tracts  of 
land  forty  or  fifty  miles  in  extent,  and  suffering 
attacks  of  the  epidemic  diseases  of  the  country, 
whu;h  sometimes  brought  him  to  the  verge  of 
the  grave.  He  seldom  received  fifty  dollars  a 
year  during  these  extreme  labors  and  sufferings. 
He  was  sometimes  assailed  by  mobs;  his  life 
was  imperiled  by  the  conspiracy  of  persecutors 
to  waylay  him  in  the  woods  by  night ;  but  he 
never  faltered.  He  formed  several  new  circuits 
and  many  societies ;  he  preached  from  the  west- 
ernmost settlement  on  the  Thames  Kiver,  oppo- 
site Detroit,  to  Quebec,  and  on  leaving  the 
country,  records-  that  he  had  proclaimed  his 
message  in  every  city,  town,  village,  and  nearly 
every  settlement  of  Upper  Canada. 

The  events  of  this  period  of  his  history,  of 
which  he  has  left  ample  records,  present  some 
of  the  most  interesting  illustrations  of  the  prim- 
itive Methodist  itinerancy,  and  of  the  early 
frontier  life  of  the  country,  that  our  Church 
biography  has  afforded ;  but  they  cannot  b^" 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  251 

cited  here.  It  has  been  deemed  proper  that  his 
eminent  services  to  the  Church  should  have  a 
fuller  record  in  another  form,  and  we  content 
ourselves  with  a  rapid  glance  at  the  remainder 
of  his  remarkable  career. 

In  1802  he  was  admitted  to  the  New  York 
Conference,  which  then  included  most  of  the 
settled  portions  of  the  State  of  New  York,  all 
the  State  of  Connecticut  west  of  the  Connecticut 
River,  western  Massachusetts  and  Vermont,  and 
stretched  over  the  Canadas  from  Quebec,  to  the 
settlements  opposite  Detroit.  In  1804  he  was 
ordained  by  Bishop  Asbury  to  both  Deacons'  and 
Elders'  orders,  and  sent,  through  incredible  hard- 
ships, a  missionary  to  the  Thames  River.  In 
1808  he  returned  to  the  States,  and  was  ap- 
pointed to  Delaware  Circuit,  N.  Y.  In  1809  hf 
was  sent  to  Albany.  Circuit ;  in  1810  to  New 
York  city;  1812  he  was  rea^pinted  to  Montreal, 
Canada,  but  the  war  with  Great  Britain  ren- 
dered it  impossible  for  him  to  reach  that  city. 
In  1813  he  was  appointed  Presiding  Elder  of 
Rhinebeck  District,  wjiich  then  extended  from 
Rhinebeck  through  Duchess  County  and  Massa- 
chusetts to  Pittsfield,  and  through  Connecticut  to 
Long  Island  Sound.  This  territory  isnow  covered 
by  six  districts ;  it  then  had  but  three  chapels, 
and  not  one  parsonage ;  he  lived  to  see  it  stud- 
ded with  commodious  churches  and  comfortable 
homes  for  its  preachers.  In  1817  he  was  reap- 


252  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

pointed  to  the  XewYork  District.  The  General 
Conference  of  1820  elected  him  Book  Agent.  In 
1824  it  appointed  him  Agent  and  Editor;  in 
1828  Editor  of  the  "  Christian  Advocate  and 
Journal ; "  in  1832  Editor,  of  the  "  Methodist 
Quarterly  Review."  His  services  in  these  vari- 
ous appointments  at  the  Book  Concern  were  of 
inestimable  value.  He  may  indeed  be  pro- 
nounced the  founder  of  that  great  institution  in 
its  present  effective  organization.  At  the  time 
of  his  appointment  to  its  agency  it  was  sinking 
under  debt ;  it  was  comprised  in  a  small  book- 
store on  John-street ;  it  had  no  premises  of  its 
own,  no  printing-press,  no  bindery,  no  news- 
paper ;  under  his  administration  it  was  provided 
i'ith^them  all.  His  co-officers  in  the  establish- 
ment, especially  Dr.  Emory,  contributed  greatly 
to  these  improvements,  but  without  impairing 
the  historical  prdjfcience  and  pre-eminence  of 
his  services.  • 

In  1836  he  was  elected  by  the  General  Con- 
ference Missionary  Secretary.  It  would  be  im- 
possible, within  the  restricted  limits  of  our  obit- 
uary, to  even  glance  at  his  many  services  in  this 
great  interest  of  the  denomination.  His  name 
is  forever  identified  with  it,  on  the  brightest 
page  of  the  Church's  history. 

In  1841  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  University ;  in  1842  he  was  appointed  to 
Second-street  Church,  New  York ;  in  1844  to 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  253 

Greene-street  Church ;  in  1846  to  Sands-street 
Church,  Brooklyn  ;  front  1848  to  1851  he  had 
charge  of  the  New  York  District ;  in  1852  he 
took  his  place  in  the  venerable  ranks  of  the 
superannuated  veterans.  He  had  •  served  the 
Church  faithfully  fifty-one  years,  receiving  from 
its  official  authorities  fifty  consecutive  appoint- 
ments. He  spent  twenty-nine  years  in  the  pas- 
toral work,  eight  in  the  book  agency,  eight  in 
Church  editorship,  four  in  the  missionary  secre- 
taryship, and  two  in  the  presidency  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  University. 

Such  is  a  rapid  glance  at  the  career  of  this 
great  and  good  man — a  representative  man  of 
not  only  the  Methodism,  but  of  the  general 
Protestantism,  of  the  New  World.  By  his  tal- 
ents, or  by  accidental  or  providential  circum- 
stances, he  had  a  primary  or  initial  agency  in 
the  great  interests  and  advancements  of  Ameri- 
can Methodism,  which  must  ever  make  his 
name  prominent  in  its  history.  He  was  the 
founder  of  the  Church,  as  has  been  observed,  in 
several  parts  of  Canada,  including  the  city  of 
Quebec  ;  he  assisted  iu  the  organization  of  the 
Delegated  General ,  Conference ;  he  was  the 
founder  of  our  periodical  literature,  by  procur- 
ing, through  the  General  Conference,  the  re- 
vival of  the  "  Methodist  Magazine  ;"  he  was' 
the  founder  of  the  Conference  course  of  study, 
by  originating  the  act  of  the  General  Conference 


254  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

of  1816,  which  ordained  it ;  also,  in  a  sense,  of 
the  modified  course  of  four  years,  to  a  motion 
for  which  in  the  session  of  1832  his  name  is  at- 
tached, though  it  was  not  adopted  till  1844. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  onr  present  sys- 
tem of  educational  institutions,  by  the  establish  ' 
inent  of  the  Wesleyan  Seminary  on  Crosby- 
street,  New  York,  which,  with  that  of  New- 
market, 'N.  EL,  now  at  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  began« 
our  modern  system  of  literary  institutions  years 
after  the  abandonment  of  the  educational  plans 
of  Coke  and  Asbury. 

He  was  the  first  man  to  open  the  columns  of 
our  General  Conference  periodicals  for  the  ad- 
vocacy of  institutions  for  the  theological  educa- 
tion of  our  ministry.  He  was  our  first  resident 
missionary  secretary,  the  first  clerical  editor  of 
our  General  Conference  newspaper,  thefirsteditor 
of  our  "  Quarterly  Review,"  and  for  many  years 
the  chief  editor  of  our  "  Monthly  Magazine  " 
and  book  publications.  He  may  be  pronounced 
the  founder  of  the  American  literature  of  Meth- 
odism, and  he  wrote  more  volumes  in  illustra- 
tion or  defense  of  the  Church  than  any  other 
man.  He  became  its  recognized  historian.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  our  Missionary  Soci- 
ety ;  he  wrote  its  Constitution,  its  first  circular 
to  the  Conferences,  its  first  appeal  to  the 
Churches,  presided  at  its  first  public  meeting, 
and  during  more  than  twenty  years  vyote  all  its 


SACKED  MEMOEIES.  255 

annual  reports.  While  its  resident  secretary  he 
devoted  to  it  all  his  energies,  conducting  i^ 
correspondence,  planning  its  mission  fields,  seek- 
ing missionaries  for  it,  preaching  for  it  in  the 
churches,  and  representing  it  in  the  Confer- 
ences. 

It  will  be  monumental  of  his  memory  in  all 
lands  to  which  its  beneficent  agency  may  ex- 
tend, and  if  no  other  public  service  could  be 
attributed  to  him,  this  alone  would  render  him 
a  principal  historic  character  of  American  Meth- 
odism, if  not,  indeed,  of  American  Protestant- 
ism. It  has  been  justly  said  that  few  men,  if 
any,  have  longer  or  more  successfully  labored 
to  promote  those  great  interests  of  his  denomi- 
nation which  have  given  it  consolidation  and 
permanence ;  that  no  one  has,  in  our  days,  em- 
bodied in  himself  more  of  its  history ;  no  one 
has  linked  so  much  of  its  past  with  its  present; 
that  he  ranks  next  to  Asbury  in  historical  im- 
portance in  theChurch.  The  facts  of  such  a  man's 
life  are  the  best  exponents  of  his  character. 

His  whole  nature  was  vigorous  :  he  was  ro- 
bust in  intellect,  in  soul,  and  in  body.  .  In  his 
prime  he  was  a  weighty  preacher,  a  powerful 
debater,  an  energetic  and  decisive,  if  not  an 
elegant,  writer.  He  was  a  steadfast  friend,  a 
staunchly  loyal  Methodist,  a  charitable  and 
truly  catholic  Christian. 

He  had  his  faults,  and,  like  every  thing  else 


256  SACEED  MEMORIES. 

in  his  strong  nature,  they  were  strongly  marked. 
But  if  he  was  abrupt  sometimes  in  his  replies, 
^  emphatic  in  his  rebukes,  no  man  was  ever 
more  habitually  ready  to  retract  an  undeserved 
severity,  or  acknowledge  a  mistake.  This  ex- 
cellence was  as  common  with  him  as  it  is  rare 
with  most  men. 

For  about  ten  years  after  his  superannuation 
he  went  in  and  out  among  our  metropolitan 
Churches,  venerated  and  beloved  as  a  chief  pa- 
triarch of  Methodism.  As  he  approached  the 
grave,  his  character  seemed  to  mellow  into  the 
richest  maturity  of  Christian  experience.  His 
favorite  theme  of  conversation  and  preaching 
was  "  entire  sanctification."  He  at  last  fell 
asleep  in  Christ,  with  many  utterances  of  peace 
and  assurance,  aged  eighty-four  years  and  one 
dav. 


JAMES  H.  PERRY. 

James  H.  Perry  died  June  18,  1862.  He  had 
for  several  days  suffered  from  a  slight  attack  of 
intermittent  fever,  but  on  the  day  of  his  death 
appeared  to  be  better.  Two  of  his  friends  had 
left  him,  about  half  past  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  eighteenth,  reclining  upon  a  sofa, 
and  in  unusually  good  spirits.  He  had  spoken 
much  of  the  pleasure  he  anticipated  from  a  visit 
to  his  family  and  home.  "  Soon  after,"  says 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  257 

one  of  his  fellow-soldiers,  "  I  left  the  room  Cap- 
tain Strickland  entered  and  engaged  in  conver- 
sation with  him,  the  Colonel  still  remaining  on 
the  sofa,  writing  in  his  diary  meanwhile.  The 
Captain  looked  away  from  him  a  moment,  and 
on  turning  his  eyes  toward  him  again  at  once 
saw  that  he  was  unconscious.  Help  was  imme- 
diately called.  He  was  removed  to  the  bed 
and  placed  in  an  easy  position,  but  all  was  of 
no  avail. 

"  His  diary,  which  had  fallen  from  his  hand 
when  he  was  on  the  sofa,  contains  his  last  writ- 
ten words  :  '  I  have  been  quite  sick,  but  am 
slowly  improving,  and  much  better  to-day.' 
The  surgeons  pronounced  it  a  clear  case  of  apo- 
plexy, and  their  opinion  is  doubtless  correct. 
Writing  to  you,  I  need  not  dwell  on  the  noble 
character  and  manly  traits  of  our  friend.  These 
are  written  on  our  memories,  and  can  never  be 
effaced.  On  the  Forty-eighth  the  blow  fell  with 
double  force.  We  had  all  learned  not  only  to 
regard  our  Colonel  as  a  gallant  and  able  leader, 
but  to  love  him  as  a  father  and  a  friend.  On 
the  day  of  his  death  there  was  not  a  dry  eye  in 
the  whole  command,  and  the  stillness  was  like 
that  of  the  grave." 

From  a  memoir  written  shortly  after  his  death 

by  his  old  friend,  Kev.  Dr.  Kennaday,  we  learn 

that  Dr.  Perry  was  born  in  Ulster  County,  N.  Y ., 

in  the  year  1811.    "  His  education  commenced,  at 

17 


258  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

an  early  age,  and  he  made  rapid  progress  in  his 
studies  until  he  was  prepared  to  enter  as  a  cadet 
at  the  Military  Academy  at  "West  Point.  Be- 
coming strongly  interested  in  the  cause  of  Texan 
independence,  he  resigned  his  position  in  the 
academy  in  the  third  year  of  his  connection 
with  it.  He  left  behind  him  a  good  reputation 
for  scholarship  and  manly  deportment.  Ac- 
cepting the  appointment  of  colonel  in  the  serv- 
ice of  Texas,  he  proceeded  to  raise  a  regiment." 
Having  raised  a  regiment  in  !NVvv  York,  he  em- 
barked, and  reached  Texas  in  time  to  participate, 
in  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  which  resulted  in 
the  defeat  of  Santa  Anna  and  the  establishment 
of  Texan  independence. 

Upon  his  retnrn  from  Texas  he  settled  with 
his  family  in  Xewburgh,  N.  Y.  "  Through  the 
invitation  of  his  sister,  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  he  was  induced  to  at- 
tend a  love-feast,  where  the  strange  but  consol- 
ing truths  of  experimental  religion  excited  his 
attention.  At  an  early  moment  he  disclosed  his 
feelings  to  the  Rev.  Seymour  Landon,  then  pas- 
tor of  the  Church.  The  result  was  his  profes- 
sion of  religion,  and  his  uniting  with  the  Church 
on  probation.  It  was  but  a  few  months  after 
this  that  the  writer  became  his  Pastor,  and  was 
at  once  deeply  interested  in  his  history  and  ex- 
perience. He  was  a  very  child  in  Christian  at- 
tainments, and  had  every  thing  to  learn  in 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  259 

Christian  doctrine.  Mr.  Landon  had  fostered 
him  with  the  greatest  care  and  faithfulness. 
Though  he  had  never  been  skeptical,  yet  his 
knowledge  of  the  Christian  system  had  not 
been  such  as  to  establish  him  in  any  special 
creed.  Never,"  says  Dr.  Kennaday,  "  did  I 
know  a  person  excelling  Colonel  Perry  in  a 
strong  desire  to  be  governed  by  the  utmost  sin- 
cerity. His  high  sense  of  honor  had  kept  him 
so  free  from  gross  offenses  that,  in  the  absence 
of  an  external  change  of  character,  many  were 
but  little  aware  of  the  decided  and  sincere  tone 
of  his  piety,  the  emotions  of  which  increased  as 
he  advanced  in  the  knowledge  of  God." 

He  joined  the  New  York  Conference  in  the 
year  1838,  and  was  appointed  to  Burlington  and 
Bristol  Circuit,  Connecticut.  During  his  min- 
istry, which  lasted  without  interruption  from 
1838  to  the  year  of  his  death,  he  filled  many  of 
the  first  appointments  in  the  New  York  and 
New  York  East  Conferences.  In  1844  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  Dickinson  College.  He  was  also  a  dele- 
gate to  the  General  Conference  of  1856. 

Shortly  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  late 
war,  Dr.  Perry,  believing  it  to  be  his  duty  to 
give  his  country  the  benefit  of  his  military  ex- 
perience, accepted  the  command  of  the  Forty- 
eighth  Eegiment  of  New  York  Volunteers. 
He  was  ordered  to  Annapolis,  from  whence  he 


260  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

embarked  for  the  South.  During  his  period  of 
service  he  displayed  high  qualities  as  a  com- 
mander. .He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Port 
Royal  Ferry  as  Brigadier-general,  and  com- 
manded the  reserve,  comprising  the  Forty-sev- 
enth and  Forty-eighth  regiments.  On  being 
called  up  to  aid  General  Stevens,  Colonel  Perry 
and  his  men  fought  for  full  six  hours,  the  Colo- 
nel maintaining  admirable  coolness  and  presence 
of  mind  throughout  the  entire  fight,  and  coming 
out  unhurt.  He  was  highly  praised  for  his  con- 
duct in  this  action.  His  regiment  also  fortified 
Dawfuskie  Island,  by  which  the  approach  to 
Fort  Pulaski  from  Savannah  was  commanded. 
Some  time  after  the  fall  of  the  fort  Colonel 
Perry  was  placed  in  command  of  it,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  when  he  died.  Saturday,  June  28, 
was  his  birthday.  It  was  his  intention  to  make 
a  brief  visit  home,  and  to  spend  that  day  with 
his  family.  But  man  proposes  and  God  dis- 
poses. The  steamer  on  which  he  expected  to 
return  brought  to  his  friends  the  intelligence  of 
his  death. 

Dr.  Perry  was  too  wrell  known  among  his 
brethren  to  need  characterization  as  a  preacher 
in  this  memoir.  In  the  pulpit  he  was  calm  and 
impressive.  His  topics  were  practical,  and  in 
discussing  them  he  impartially  followed  the 
teachings  of  Scripture.  He  kept  constantly  in 
view  the  great  ends  of  preaching,  the  conversion 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  201 

of  sinners,  and  the  building  up  of  believers  in 
the  faith.  He  won  the  affections  of  all.  In 
debate  he  was  dexterous  and  cogent.  No  mat- 
ter what  might  be  the  topic  of  controversy,  he 
was  an  able  advocate  and  formidable  opponent. 
His  ability  as  a  logician,  and  his  tact  as  a  de- 
bater, made  him  naturally  a  leader  upon  the 
floor  of  Confererfce.  His  brethren  who  adopj^d 
his  views  of  Church  administration  relied  un- 
hesitatingly upon  his  sagacity,  and  followed  his 
suggestions  with  confidence.  His  well-known 
kindliness  of  disposition  subjected  him  to  con- 
stant calls  to  appear  as  advocate  in  behalf  of 
parties  who  were,  or  were  likely  to  be,  brought 
under  Conference  censure.  The  services  ren- 
dered by  him  at  such  times  were  purely  disin- 
terested. 

In  his  attachments  Dr.  Perry  was  firm  and 
constant.  He  grappled  his  friends  to  him  with 
"  hooks  of  steel."  His  character  was  so  positive 
that  he  was  incapa'ble  of  indifference  ;  he  liked 
or  disliked  decidedly,  and  with  all  the  force  of 
a  strong  nature.  His  ministry  was  fruitful  of 
good.  He  was  blessed  with  a  revival  in  the 
Mulberry-street  Church,  New  York,  during 
which  some  now  important  men  were  con- 
verted. In  Sag  Harbor  his  name  is  still  affec- 
tionately cherished  ;  many  witnesses  to  the 
power  of  his  ministry  are  still  Jiving  who  were 
brought  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ  through  his 


262  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

labors.  In  WateAury,  and  Fleet-street,  and 
Hanson  Place,  Brooklyn,  his  memory  is  en- 
deared to  the  children  of  God.  The  New  York 
East  Conference,  at  its  session  of  1862,  unani- 
mously adopted  resolutions  approving  the  step 
he  had  taken  in  entering  the  national  service. 

The  suddenness  of  Dr.  Perry's  decease  pre- 
cl\jded  any  dying  expressions 'of  his  faith  and 
hope.  His  departure  is  a  warning  to  us  all  to 
"  be  also  ready."  We  mourn  for  him  as  one 
wrho  gave  up  all  for  his  God  and  his  country. 
When  the  record  of  these  trying  times  is  made 
up,  Dr.  Perry's  name  will  have  a  high  and  hon- 
ored place  on  the  roll  of  immortals  through 
whose  devotion  our  Union  has  been  saved. 


THOMAS  GERALDS. 

Thomas  Geralds  was  born  in  Watertown, 
Conn.,  in  1815,  converted  when  sixteen  years 
of  age,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Waterbury.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  Rev.  Charles  W.  Carpenter,  joined 
the  Xew  York  Conference  in  the  spring  of 
1842,  and  was  ordained  Deacon  by  Bishop 
Janes  and  Elder  by  Bishop  Morris.  He  trav- 
eled the  following  circuits,  namely  :  Litchtield, 
Rocky  Hill,  W**t  Suffield,  Washington  Hill, 
Norfolk,  New  Concord,  and  West  Taghkanic. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  263 

His  health  failed,  and  he  located  in  1851,  but 
was  readmitted  into  the  New  York  East  Con- 
ferencejn  1859.  His  health  being  still  poor,  he 
took  a  superannuated  relation,  which  he  held 
until  called  home,  November  4,  1862.  He  was 
twice  married.  He  died  at  his  residence  in 
Meriden,  Conn.,  and  was  buried  in  the  family 
burying  ground  in  Wallingford. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  plain,  practical,  ear- 
nest, and  successful.  He  was  a  diligent  Pastor, 
a  kind  husband  and  father,  prized  and  loved 
most  by  those  who  knew  him  best.  He  died  of 
consumption,  was  patient  in  all  his  sufferings, 
and  met  his  end  in  holy  triumph. 


JAMES   FLOY,    D.D. 

James  Floy,  D.D.,  was  born  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  Aug.  20,  1806,  of  .pious  and  highly 
respectable  parents.  He  received  his  academical 
and  collegiate  education  at  Columbia  College, 
New  York.  His  conversion  to  God,  according 
to  a  record  left  by  himself,  occurred  Feb.  13, 
1831,  during  a  revival  in  the  Allen-street  Church. 
He  united  with  the  Bower}' ^Tillage  (now  Sev- 
enth-street) Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  for 
some  time  acted  as  teacher  and  superintendent 
of  a  Sunday  school  for  colored  persons  under  the 
care  of  that  Church.  He  was  also  appointed  a 


264  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

Class  Leader  at  an  early  stage  of  his  connection 
with  the  Church.  Respecting  his  entrance  upon 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  we  learn  fi*>m  the 
record  referred  to  that  "  from  childhood  he  had 
an  impression  on  his  mind  that  he  should  be  a 
minister;"  and  after  his  conversion  that  impres- 
sion was  renewed,  and  strengthened  his  heart. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  February,  1833, 
two  years  after  his  conversion,  and  for  the  next 
two  years  he  filled  the  office  of  a  Local  Preacher. 
He  was  received  into  the  traveling  ministry  as  a 
probationer  at  the  session  of  the  Xew  York 
Conference  in  the  spring  of  1835,  and  appointed 
to  Riverhead,  Long  Island,  X.  Y.  His  subse- 
quent appointments  were  :  1836-37,  Hempstead 
Circuit;  1837-39,  Harlem  Mission.  At  the 
Conference  for  the  latter  year  he  was  ordained 
Elder,  and  appointed  to  Kortright  Circuit, 
Delaware  County,  X.  Y.,  but  on  account  of  the 
severe  and  protracted  illness  of  his  wife,  render- 
ing her  removal  impracticable,  he  was  released 
from  the  appointment.  From  1840  to  1843  he 
was  at  Washington-street  Church,  Brooklyn  ; 
1842-44,  Danbury,  Conn.;  1844-46,  Madison- 
street,  New  York  ;  1847-48,  Middletown,  Conn. ; 
1S48-50,  New  Bfcven,  Conn.;  1850-52,  Madi- 
son-street, Xew  York,  second  time  j  1852-54, 
Twenty-seventh-street,  Xew  York ;  1854-56 
Presiding  Elder  of  Xew  York  District ;  1856- 
60,  Editor  of  Xational  Magazine  and  Secretary 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  265 

of  the  Tract  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church;  1861-63,  Seventh-street,  New  York; 
1863,  Beekman  Hill,  New  York. 

Brother  Floy  was  a  distinguished  man  among 
his  brethren.  Three  times  his  Conference  hon- 
ored itself  by  electing  him  a  delegate  to  the 
General  Conference.  His  appointments  during 
the  twenty-four  years  of  his  pastoral  life  strong- 
ly indicate  the  high  appreciation  that  was  held 
of  his  merits  and  capabilities ;  and  it  is  believed 
that  he  never  failed  to  lea^  any  charge  better 
than  when  he  came  to  it.  He  also  took  a  lively 
interest  in  the  general  affairs  of  the  Church  ;  was 
diligent  in  his  attendance  on  the  sessions  of  his 
Conference,  where  his  influence  was  always  po- 
tent. For  twenty-eight  successive  years  he  filled 
the  places  assigned  to  him  by  the  Church  faith- 
fully and  successfully.  As  a  preacher,  he  was 
clear,  direct,  and  earnest ;  eminently  evangeli- 
cal in  doctrine;  in  exhortation,  pungent  and  ef- 
fective ;  elevated  in  matter,  and  rigidly  correct 
in  style  and  manner.  •«• 

His  death  was  sudden,  and  quite  unexpected 
by  either  himself  or  his  friends.  On  the  even- 
ing of  Oct.  14,  1863,  in  his  study,  with  only  a 
son  with  him,  he  was  seized  with  apoplexy,  and 
expired  almost  instantly.  His  death,  so  sudden 
and  unexpected,  brought  sadness  to  many,  who 
only  then  realized  how  much  he  was  beloved. 
But  the  circumstances  of  his  demise  were  not 


266  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

comfortless.  Quietly,  in  his  own  house,  and  in 
the  arms  of  a  loved  and  dutiful  son,  without  lin- 
gering sickness,  emaciation,  or  senility,  for  his 
eye  was  not  dim,  nor  his  natural  force  abated, 
he  rendered  up  his  spirit  in  the  faith  and  hope 
in  which  he  had  lived.  A  career,  not  entirely 
without  its  foibles  and  defects,  yet  as  nearly  so 
as  often  falls  to  the  lot  of  erring  mortals,  waa 
accomplished  ;  a  character,  perhaps  not  faultless, 
but  elevated  far  above  the  common  level  of  hu- 
manity, had  been  formed  and  exercised;  and 
now  in  the  early  post-meridian  of  such  a  life  it 
ceased  on  earth  to  recommence  in  heaven. 


BUEL   GOODSELL. 

Buel  Goodsell  was  born  in  the  town  of  Dover, 
Duchess  County,  X.  Y.,  July  25,  1793.  Of  his 
childhood  and  youth  we  have  no  special  infor- 
mation other  than  that  at  about  the  age  of  six- 
teen he  made  a  profession  of  religion  and  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  place  of 
his  birth.  In  the  year  1814  he  was  received  on 
trial  in  the  New  York  Conference,  (which  then 
included  all  the  territory  now  embraced  in  the 
New  York,  New  York  East,  and  Troy  Confer 
ences,)  and  was  appointed  to  the  Granville 
Circuit,  in  the  States  of  Massachusetts  and  Con- 
necticut ;  in  1815,  Stowe  Circuit,  Yt. ;  1816, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  267 

Chazy  Circuit,  N.  Y. ;  1817,  Middleburgh,  Vt. ; 
1818-19,  St.  Albans  Circuit,  Vt.  ;  1820-21, 
Cb  azy  Circuit  again ;  1822,  Charlotte  Circuit, 
Vt. ;  1823-26,  Presiding  Elder  on  the  Champlain 
District,  including  all  the  territory  on  the  east 
side  of  Lake  Champlain  back  to  the  Green 
Mountains,  and  from  two  to  three  tiers  of  towns 
on  the  west  side  of  the  lake  in  the  State  of  New 
York;  1827,  Fitchtown,  N.  Y.;  1828-29,  Sche- 
nectady,  N.  Y.  ;  1830-31,  New  York  ;  1832-33, 
Troy ; '  1834-37,  Presiding  £lder  on  the  Troy 
District;  1838-39,  John-street,  N.  Y.  ;  1840-41, 
North  Newburgh,  N.  Y. ;  1842-43,  White 
Plains,  N.  Y. ;  1844-45,  York-street,  Brooklyn  ; 
1846-47,  Willett-street,  N.  Y. ;  1848-49,  Nor- 
walk,  Conn. ;  1850-51,  Hempstead,  L.  I. ;  1852 
-53,  New  Kochelle,  N.  Y. ;  1854,  East  Brook- 
lyn, L.  I. ;  1855-58,  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Long 
Island  District ;  1859-60,  Greenpoint,  Brooklyn  ; 
1861-62,  Kockaway,  L.  I. ;  1863,  East  Chester 
and  City  Island,  N.  Y.  He  went  to  his  appoint- 
ment the  next  Sabbath  after  receiving  it,  and 
preached  with  great  power,  greatly  exciting  the 
hopes  and  strengthening  the  faith  of  the  breth- 
ren v  He  returned  the  next  day  (Monday)  for 
his  family  and  effects.  The  latter  part  of  the 
same  week  he  set  out  with  his  wife  and  daughter 
in  his  own  carriage  for  their  new  home,  was  ar- 
rested by  disease  on  the  way,  called  on  his  friend, 
L>r,  Van  Ness,  in  Brooklyn,  where  he  received 


2G8  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

all  the  attention  that  affection  and  medical  skill 
could  suggest,  and  after  lingering  about  a  fort- 
night, amid  alternate  hopes  and  fears  for  the  re- 
sults, he  died  in  great  peace  and  holy  triumph 
on  the  fourth  of  May. 

Brother  Goodsell  was  a  laborious,  faithful, 
and  successful  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  He 
had  acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  natural 
sciences,  as  also  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  lan- 
guages, and  quite  too  much  to  admit  of  his 
making  an  ostentatious,  pedantic  display  of  his 
acquirements.  To  those  who  loved  and  longed 
for  highly  intellectual  food,  and  were  somewhat 
fastidious  as  to  its  preparation,  and  the  manner 
of  its  communication,  he  might  have  been  more 
of  an  apostle  had  he  been  more  rigidly  observant 
of  the  rule  to  express  his  ideas  in  as  few  words 
as  possible,  consistent  with  perspicuity ;  but  to 
such  as  cared  only  or  principally  to  feel  deeply, 
to  be  made  to  weep  or  to  shout,  he  was  a  work- 
man that  needed  not  to  be  ashamed.  He  had 
many  living  epistles  to  his  ministry,  some  of 
whom  had  preceded  him  to  the  better  country, 
even  the  heavenly ;  others  are  on  their  wray 
thither.  Soon  they  will  all  -meet,  and  having, 
as  we  trust  it  will  then  be  found,  turned  many 
to  righteousness,  he  will  shine  as  a  star  of  the 
first  magnitude  in  the  firmament  of  heaven. 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  260 

JOHN   KENNADAY,   D.D. 

To  the  list  of  sadden  deaths  occurring  of  re- 
cent years  among  the  members  of  the  New  York 
East  Conference  must  be  added  the  name  of 
Rev.  John  Kennaday.  While  in  the  act  of 
delivering  an  exhortation  in  the  chapel  of 
Washington-street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
Brooklyn,  on  the  evening  of  Nov.  13,  1863,  he 
was  struck  with  apoplexy,  and  after  lying  in  a 
state  of  unconsciousness  for  about  twenty-four 
hours  he  breathed  his  last.  Up  to  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  so  that  he  literally  "  ceased  at 
once  to  work  and  live."  He  was  born  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  Nov.  13,  1800.  In  early 
life  he  was  a  printer,  devoting  even  then,  how- 
ever, his  leisure?  as  far  as  practicable,  to  literary 
pursuits.  He  was  converted  under  the  ministry 
of  the  Rev.  Heman  Bangs,  in  the  John-street 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Mr.  Bangs  thus 
describes  very  graphically  the  awakening  and 
conversion  of  young  Kennaday :  "  It  was  in 
John-street,  the  occasion  being  a  love-feast. 
Our  city  (New  York)  was  then  one  circuit,  and 
we  all  came  together  for  love-feast  into  one 
church,  and,  consequently,  the  church  was  crowd- 
ed. Among  others,  a  young  man  arose  in  the 
back  part  of  the  house,  near  the  gallery,  and 
began  to  speak.  The  moment  he  opened  his 


270  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

mouth  it  seemed  like  pouring  oil  on  Aaron's 
head ;  the  odor  was  such  that  it  seemed  to  dif- 
fuse itself  all  over  the  congregation,  and  the 
fragrance  was  such  that  every  one  seemed  to 
catch  it.  The  inquiry  was  made,  'Whose  sil- 
very voice  is  that?"  I  believe  that  eloquence 
which  he  then  manifested,  and  which  seemed  to 
be  natural,  and  easy,  and  unaffected,  continued 
with  him  to  the  last,  more  or  less." 

In  this  way  did  the  public  life  of  Dr.  Kenna- 
day  begin,  and  it  was  prosecuted  without  abate- 
ment of  energy  or  zeal  for  full  forty  years.  In 
less  than  a  year  from  his  conversion  he  was 
licensed  to  exhort,  and  shortly  thereafter  he  was 
employed  by  a  Presiding  Elder  in  New  Jersey. 
Of  this  ministerial  experience  he  says  in  his 
diary  :  "  In  every  twenty-eight  days  I  preached 
forty-two  sermons,  walked  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  miles,  and  rode  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
two,  making  in  two  hundred  and  fifty-two  days 
three  hundred  and  sixty-nine  sermons ;  traveled 
on  foot  one  thousand  and  seventeen  miles,  and 
rode  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight,  besides  leading  classes,  attending  Sunday- 
schools,  visiting  alms-houses,  etc."  In  May, 
1823,  he  was  received  on  probation  by  the  New 
York  Conference.  In  1823-24  he  traveled 
Kingston  Circuit;  1825,  Bloomingburgh  Cir- 
cuit ;  1826,  transferred  to  Philadelphia  Confer- 
ence, and  was  stationed  that  and  the  following 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  271 

year  at  Paterson,  K  J. ;  1828-29,  Newark,  N.  J. ; 
1830-31,  Wilmington^  Del. ;  1832,  Morristown, 
N.  J. ;  1833,  retransTerred  to  New  York  Con- 
ference, and  stationed  in  Brooklyn ;  1835-36, 
preacher  in  charge  of  New  York  East  Circuit, 
embracing  all  the  churches  east  of  Broadway ; 
183T-38,  Newburgh,  K  Y. ;  1839,  retransferred 
to  Philadelphia  Conference,  and  that  and  the 
following  year  stationed  at  Union  Church,  Phil- 
adelphia;'1841-42,  Trinity  Church,  Philadel- 
phia; 1843-44,  second  time  to  Wilmington, 
Del ;  at  the  close  of  his  pastoral  term  the  Church 
was  divided  peacefully,  and  a  new  Church  organ- 
ized, called  St.  Paul's,  and  for  the  two  follow- 
ing years  Dr.  Kennaday  was  its  pastor;  1847— 
48,  again  pastor  of  Union  Church,  Philadelphia; 
1849,  Nazareth  Church,  in  that  city;  1850,- 
transferred  to  New  York  East  Conference,  and 
that  and  the  following  year  was  pastor  of  Pa- 
cific-street Church,  Brooklyn ;  1852-53,  returned 
to  Washington-street  Church ;  1851-55,  First 
Church,  New  Haven,  Conn. ;  1856-57,  second 
time  to  Pacific-street  Church,  Brooklyn  ;  1858- 
59,  third  time  to  Washington-street  Church, 
Brooklyn ;  1860-61,  reappointed  to  First  Church, 
New  Haven,  Conn.;  1862,  Hartford,  Conn.; 
and  in  1863  he  was  appointed  Presiding  Elder 
of  Long  Island  .District,  which  office  he  was  ad- 
ministering at  the  time  of  his  decease. 

The  noticeable  fact  of  this  record  is  the  num- 


2T2  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

ber  of  times  Dr.  Kennaday  was  returned  as 
pastor  to  churches  that,  he  had  previously  served. 
Of  the  forty  years  of  his  ministerial  life  twenty- 
two  years,  or  more  than  half,  was  spent  in  five 
churches.  No  fact  better  attests  his  long-con- 
tinued popularity  and  his  power  of  winning  the 
affections  of  the  people.  "  As  a  Christian  pas- 
tor," says  Bishop  Janes,  "  Dr.  Kennaday  was 
eminent  in  his  gifts,  in  his  attainments,  and  in 
his  devotion  to  his  sacred  calling,  and  in  the 
seals  God  gave  to  his  ministry.  In  the  pulpit, 
he  was  clear;  in  the  statement  of  his  subject, 
abundant,  and  most  felicitous  in  his  illustrations, 
and  pathetic  and  impressive  in  his  applications.  * 
His  oratory  was  of  a  high  order.  His  presence, 
his  voice,  his  fluency  of  speech,  his  graceful 
action,  his  fine  imagination,  and  his  fervent 
feelings,  rendered  his  elocution  effective  and^ 
powerful,  and  gave  to  his  preaching  great  at- 
tractiveness and  popularity.  Out  of  the  pulpit, 
the  ease  and  elegance  of  his  manners,  the  vi- 
vacity and  sprightliness  of  his  conversational 
powers,  the  tenderness  of  his  sympathy,  and 
the  kindness  of  his  conduct  toward  the  afflicted 
and  needy,  and  his  affectionate  notice  of  and 
efforts  for  the  childhood  and  youth  of  his  con- 
gregation, made  him  the  greatly  endeared  and 
beloved  pastor." 

In    many   respects   Dr.   Kennaday   was    the 
model  of  a  Christian   minister.      He  had  the 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  273 

pastoral  spirit  and  loved  the  pastoral  work.  To 
preach  Christ  and  watch  over  Christ's  flock 
seemed  his  highest  joy.  There  was  not  a  single 
ministerial  duty  which  he  did  not  perform  well. 
Preaching,  exhortation,  and  pastoral  visitation 
seemed  alike  easy  to  him.  His  readiness  and 
tact  never  deserted  him.  An  unfailing  good 
sense  instinctively  suggested  to  him  what  was 
appropriate  to  each  occasion.  He  was,  for  these 
reasons,  one  of  our  most  available  men,  for 
every  public  service  that  could  be  required  of  a 
preacher.  His  ministry  in  the  Philadelphia 
Conference,  from  1839  to  1850,  is  remembered 
there  to  this  day  as  one  of  extraordinary  success ; 
for  it  was  every-where  fruitful  of  good  from  its 
beginning  to  its  close. 

Sudden  death  is  to  the  feelings  of  the  living 
who  contemplate  it  a  most  painful  visitation  ; 
but  dying  in  the  act  of  offering  Christ  to  men 
as  an  all-sufficient  Saviour  relieves  sudden  death 
of  much  of  the  painful  impressions  which  it 
otherwise  makes  upon  us.  We  often  say  of 
ourselves, 

"Happy,  if  with  ray  latest  breath 

I  may  but  gasp  His  name; 
Preach  him  to  all,  and  cry  in  death, 

Behold,  behold  the  Lamb !  " 

Just  such  a  death  was  vouchsafed  to  Dr.  Ken- 
naday.  He  did  literally 

"  Preach  him  to  all,  and  cry  in  death, 
Behold,  behold  the  Lamb !  " 
18 


274:  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

Like  Fletcher  of  Madeley,  he  was  taken  from 
his  pulpit  to  his  death-bed,  and  thence  to  his 
grave.  Let  us  follow  him,  as  he  followed  Christ. 
The  lesson  of  Dr.  Kennaday's  career  is  an  illus- 
tration of  the  beauty  and  joy  of  a  life  devoted 
to  the  pastorate.  Among  the  Churches  his 
name  is  as  ointment  poured  forth.  But  better 
than  all,  his  name  is  registered  on  high  with 
those  who  have  turned  many  to  righteousness, 
and  "  shine  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever." 


JOHN    ELLIS. 

John  Ellis  was  born  in  Wales  in  1815,  and 
died  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn  on  October  22, 
1863.  He  was  converted  in  his  twelfth  year, 
and  from  that  time  devoted  himself  with  much 
zeal  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  He  began  to  preach 
in  the  twentieth  year  of  his  age.  He  afterward 
removed  to  England,  where  he  labored  for  sev- 
eral years  for  the  salvation  of  his  fellow  country- 
'men.  From  England  he  came  to  America,  and 
in  1851-52  was  stationed  in  Cincinnati;  in  1853 
at  In  nton  ;  in  1851—55  at  Gallia  Welsh  Mission. 
From  1856  to  I860  he  was  at  the  Welsh  Mission 
in  the  city  of  I^ew  York.  In  1861  he  became 
superannuated,  which  relation  he  continued  to 
the  time  of  his  death. 

multiplied  infirmities  forbade  the  at- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  275 

tempt  to  preach  the  word,  he  sought  out  the 
flock,  and  led  them  into  green  pastures  of  Gos- 
pel truth  and  experience.  It  is  said  by  those 
who  heard  him  in  Wales  that  he  was  remark- 
able for  eloquence,  and  attracted  crowds  to  his 
ministry.  Brother  Ellis  was  a  man  of  a  meek 
and  quiet  spirit,  a  dignified  deportment,  and  a 
genial  and  generous  nature.  He  was  a  diligent 
student  of  the  holy  Scriptures,  his  mind  was 
richly  stored  with  theological  literature,  and  his 
style  in  the  pulpit  was  clear,  eleva40d,  and  forci- 
ble. His  highest  honor  was  the  fidelity  with 
which  he  discharged  his  sacred  duties,  and  the 
testimony  of  his  now  scattered  people  is,  that  he 
was  to  them  a  faithful  minister  of  Christ. 

Thus,  at  the  age  of  forty-seven,  he  expired  far 
from  the  scenes  of  his  childhood,  affer  doing  the 
work  of  evangelist  and  pastor,  and  making  full 
proof  of  his  ministry.  His  dying  testimony  was, 
"  I  am  trusting  in  the  atonement,  and  all  is 
clear." 


BAPHAEL    GILBERT. 

Raphael  Gilbert,  of  the  New  York  East  Con- 
ference, died  at  Whitestone,  Queens  County, 
June  6,  aged  sixty-seven.  He  was  born  at  Ber- 
lin, Conn.,  in  1798.  Though  circumspect  in  his 
moral  deportment  as  he  attained  to  the  period 
of  accountability,  and  always  respectful  toward 


276  SACRED  MEMORIES 

religion,  yet  he  lived  without  a  personal  interest 
in  its  enjoyment  until  approaching  the  period 
of  early  manhood.  His  translation  "into  the 
kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son"  was  not  a  little 
remarkable.  Entirely  unacquainted  with  Meth- 
odism, and  without  the  slightest  intercourse  with 
any  of  that  people,  and,  indeed,  without  any  of 
the  ordinary  facilities  of  religious  instruction, 
he  became  deeply  impressed  with  a  conviction 
of  the  divine  holiness  and  a  sense  of  his  own 
impurity.  |§is*  feelings  were  deep,  and  yet  he 
was  wholly  unable  to  assign  any  cause  for  these 
impressions.  Great  tenderness  of  heart  and 
constant  contrition  attended  him.  "JSTot  know- 
ing the  Scriptures,  neither  the  power  of  God," 
he  sought  no  instruction  from  the  spiritually 
minded,  writh  whom,  however,  his  intercourse 
was  very  limited.  Praying  and  weeping,  he 
sought  constant  retirement,  and  continued^for 
many  weeks  in  this  strange  course  of  exercise. 
On  one  occasion,  after  an  earnest  effort  in 
prayer,  he  arose  from  his  knees  feeling  a  re- 
markable transition  from  sorrow  to  joy.  Even 
this  change  was  as  "  a  light  shining  in  dark- 
ness," "  and  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not.'' 
On  stating  his  feelings  to  a  dear  friend,  he  was 
told,  "  You  are  converted.  God  has  come  to 
you  and  given  you  a  new  heart."  In  a  little 
time  he  sought  an  interview  with  the  Rev. 
Reuben  Harris,  the  preacher  upon  the  circuit, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  277 

from  whom  he  obtained  great  encouragement, 
and  under  whom  he  attached  himself  to  the 
Church.  Brother  Harris  was  a  man  of  great 
simplicity  of  manners,  utterly  void  of  guile.  It 
was  fortunate  that  the  young  disciple  became 
so  early  acquainted  with  one  of  such  purity  of 
character.  Young  Gilbert  soon  commenced  a 
course  of  usefulness,  and  a  deportment  which, 
continuing  through  all  his  years,  commended 
him  always  to  the  Church.  In  1£27  he  was  ad- 
mitted a  probationer  into  the  New  York  Con- 
ference, and  appointed  to  New  Windsor  Circuit, 
on  which  he  continued  the  following  year;  in 
1829,  Wethersfield  Circuit;  in  1830-31,  Essex 
Circuit;  in  1832-33,  Woodbury  Circuit;  in 
1834,  Stratford  Circuit ;  in  1835-36,  York-street, 
Brooklyn ;  in  1837-38,  Seventh-street,  New 
York ;  from  1839  to  1842  he  remained  superan- 
nuated, through  the  failure  of  his  health ;  in 
1843  he  was  appointed  supernumerary  to  Madi- 
son-street, New  York ;  from  1844  to  1857  he 
again  occupied  a  superannuated  position ;  in 
1858  he  was  appointed  to  Wethersfield  ;  in  1859- 
60,  Astoria ;  in  1861,  supernumerary,  and  taking 
charge  of  Astoria;  in  1862-63,  Whitestone, 
where  his  labors  were  finished.  During  the 
seasons  in  which  he  held  the  place  of  a  super- 
annuated man  his  labors  often  exceeded  his 
strength,  and  it  was  wTith  no  little  difficulty 
that  he  was  restrained.  His  usual  appearance 


278  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

indicated  comparative  health  and  strength,  but 
a  severe  affection  of  the  throat  and  head,  and  a 
general  debility,  often  led  to  sudden  prostration, 
and  upon  the  slightest  pulpit  effort.  During 
much  of  the  time  in  which  impaired  health 
prevented  his  labors  in  the  ministry  he  engaged 
in  business,  which  he  conducted  actively,  but 
never  to  the  detriment  of  his  religious  zeal,  and 
to  an  extent  so  limited  as  not  to  entangle  him. 
Through  tho^p  scenes  "  where  many  a  mightier 
has  been  slain,"  he  passed  in  safety,  never  fal- 
tering in  integrity,  nor  incurring  the  slightest 
imputation.  At  the  Conference  held  in  "Will- 
iamsburgh  in  the  spring  of  1863  such  was  his 
healthful  appearance,  and  such  his  cheerfulness, 
that  several  of  his  friends  congratulated  him 
upon  his  improved  health.  One  of  his  friends 
said  to  him,  surprised  at  his  seeming  vigor, 
"Why,  Brother  Gilbert,  do  you  never  mean  to 
die?"  "]Sro,"  replied  he  with  a  smile,  "I  do 
not  expect  to  die ;  I  expect  to  fall  asleep  in 
Jesus."  This  expression  was  remarkably  veri- 
fied as  the  time  came  when  God  took  him.  He 
was  attacked  by  a  violent  cold,  terminating  in 
congestion  of  the  lungs,  about  the  last  of  May, 
and  on  the  evening  of  June  5,  1864,  without  a 
pang,  or  the  slightest  sign  of  suffering,  he  so 
gently  slept  in  Jesus  that  none  knew  the  hour 
of  his  death  from  that  of  rest.  Through  his  ill- 
ness the  same  calm  reliance  upon  God,  always 


SACKED  MEMORIES.        *       279 

BO  conspicuous  in  his  life,  was  manifest.  His 
joy  frequently  found  utterance  in  his  exclama- 
tions. *<  Halleluiah !"  "Victory!"  "Victory 
in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  ! "  were  frequent  utter- 
ances while  he  had  strength  to  speak.  Brother 
Gilbert  was  an  unaffected  Christian,  humble 
and  ardent  in  spirit.  His  eyes  seemed  a  fount- 
ain of  tears,  so  that  his  preaching  was  unusu- 
ally tender.  Pathos,  earnestness,  and  plainness 
characterized  his  appeals,  while  the  absence  of 
all  guile  rendered  them  impressive.  As  a  friend, 
he  was  ardent  and  reliable.  No  one  familiar 
with  his  Christian  walk,  his  industry,  and  re- 
ligious care  in  all  things  would  ever  hesitate  to 
say  of  him,  "  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold 
the  upright,  for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace." 


CHARLES  R.  ADAMS. 

Charles  R.  Adams  was  born  May  20,  1816. 
Having  been  converted,  he  felt  that  his  calling 
was  more  specific  than  merely  .to  general  use- 
fulness, and  that  it  was  to  preach  the  Gospel  of 
the  Son  of  God. 

Brother  Adams  was  appointed  to  the  Essex 
Charge,  Conn.,  by  the  Presiding  Elder  in  1841, 
received  int.o  the  New  York  Conference  in  1842, 
and  returned  to  the  same  charge.  His  ministry 
there  was  greatly  blessed,  and  his  memory  to 


280      • .      SACRED  MEMORIES. 

''this  day  is  warmly  cherished.  In  every  place 
•where  Brother  Adams .  lived  and  labored  he 
was  more  than  esteemed — beloved,  witn  an  ex- 
ceedingly tender  friendship.  His  ministry  was 
often  crowned  with  revival  and  regenerating 
power. 

Brother  Adams  was  embarrassed  in  his  ministry 
by  a  persistent  bronchial  irritation,  which  finally 
terminated  his  public  labors,  and  retired  him  to 
the  superannuated  ranks  ;  yet,  as  a  superannu- 
ated man,  he  continued  to  labor  locally,  as  his 
strength  permitted,  to  the  last.  When  the  field 
was  divided  he  fell  into  the  i^ew  York  East 
Conference,  and  at  its  session  of  1852  was 
granted  a  supernumerary  relation  in  conse- 
quence of  feeble  health.  Disappointed  in  his 
hope  of  restored  strength,  he  asked  for  and  re- 
ceived a  superannuated  relation,  in  which  he 
remained  until  his  death.  The  last  ten  "years 
of  his  life  were  spent  in  Chicago.  A  few  months 
he  supplied  the  Church  in  Lockport,  111.  He 
had  a  clear  scriptural  experience,  and  his  testi- 
mony in  social  meetings  was  always  profitable. 
In  prayer  he  was  unusually  gifted,  especially  in 
prayer  for  seekers  of  religion.  At  such  times 
the  windows  of  heaven  seemed  to  open,  and  he 
bore  the  penitent  directly  to  the  mercy-seat. 
Ordinarily  the  sunshine  of  sweet  contentment, 
of  quietness  and  assurance,  overspread  his  feat- 
ures, and  showed  his  interior  life  was  a  happy 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  281 

• 

one.     In  his  active  ministry  he  was  useful,  hav- 
ing the  wisdom  that  winneth  souls. 

He  died  of  an  affection  of  the  brain  Tuesday, 
February  28,  1865.  Such  was  his  disease  that 
it  precluded  rational  conversation.  His  letters 
to  his  absent  family  until  the  very  last  were  full 
of  faith  and  comfort,  radiant  with  hope,  strong 
in  confidence.  Occasionally  there  were  gleams 
of  momentary  sunshine  in  his  last  hours,  show- 
ing that  light  was  on  his  pathway.  We  know 
his  manner  of  life  and  conversation,  and  know- 
ing, have  strong  confidence  that  he  rests  in 
peace. 


WILLIAM  H.  GILDER. 

William  H.  Gilder,  one  of  the  members  of  the 
New  York  East  Conference,  and  chaplain  of  the 
Fortieth  (Mozart)  Kegiment  of  New  York  Vol- 
unteers, died  in  Culpepper,  Va.,  Wednesday, 
April  13,  1864,  of  small-pox,  after  an  illness  of 
fifteen  days.  His  health  had  "been  greatly  im- 
paired by  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever,  from  which 
he  suffered  in  1863.  During  his  last  visit  to 
New  York  he  remarked  to  a  friend  that  he  was 
not  in  a  fit  condition  to  return  to  the  army,  but 
that,  nevertheless,  he  would  go.  His  sense  of 
duty  to  his  regiment  was  so  strong  that  he  would 
not,  unless  absolutely  disabled,  absent  himself 
from  his  post. 


282  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

• 

At  the  time  of  his  death  Brother  Gilder  was 
about  fifty-two  years  of  age.  He  was  the  son 
of  Mr.  John  Gilder,  for  many  years  a  well- 
known  and  leading  Methodist  layman  of  Phila- 
delphia. He  entered  the  Philadelphia  Confer- 
ence in  1833,  and  was  stationed  first  at  Cross- 
wicks,  N".  J.  The  following  year  he  was  sta- 
tioned at  Elizabethtown.  In  1835  he  was  sta- 
tioned at  Germantown,  Pa.  His  labors  having 
impaired  his  health,  he  was  for  several  years 
returned  in  the  Conference  Minutes  as  super- 
numerary, and  resided  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness. About  1840  he  established  at  Philadelphia 
the  "Pearl  and  Repository,'1  an  independent 
Methodist  paper,  to  which  several  of  the  Meth- 
odist ministers  of  the  city  were  contributors. 
Rev.  Dr.  Ryerson,  of  Canada,  once  pronounced 
this  paper  one  of  the  best  that  came  from  the 
States.  For  some  years  our  deceased  brother 
filled  with  great  ability  the  position  of  Principal 
of  the  Female  Institute  at  Bordentown,  N.  J. 
He  afterward  became  President 'of  Flushing 
Female  College,  at  St.  Thomas's  Hall,  Flushing, 
L.  I.  -  Under  his  management  this  school  at- 
tained an  extensive  reputation  as  a  first-class 
seminary.  While  at  Bordentown  he  established 
the  "  Literary  Register,"  which  attained  a  large 
circulation,  and  was  only  discontinued  when  the 
cares  of  the  school  at  Flushing,  absorbing  all 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  283 

his  time,  prevented  his  attending  to  editorial 
duties.  In  all,,  he  was  for  about  seventeen 
years  identified  with  the  cause  of  education  as 
a  practical  teacher,  holding  during  this  time  an 
effective  relation  to  his  Conference,  and  sharing 
in  a  high  degree  the  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
preachers. 

Our  brother  had  been  identified  with  the 
Fortieth  New  York  Regiment  from  the  time 
of  its  original  organization.  He  shared  in  all 
its  campaigns,  except  when  actually  compelled 
by  ill  health  to  spend  a  few  weeks  at  home. 
He  performed  the  duties  of  his  responsible  po- 
sition with  exemplary  zeal,  and  received  there- 
for most  gratifying  evidences  of  esteem  from  the 
officers  and  soldiers  with  whom  he  was  called 
to  associate. 

On  his  sick-bed,  and  before  his  disease  had 
developed  alarming  symptoms,  he  partly  wrote 
and  partly  dictated  a  letter  to  his  brethren  of 
the  New  York  East  Conference.  ^V  e  were  then 
in  session,  and  it  was  his  hope  that  his  iraternal 
greeting  would  reach  the  seat  of  the  Conference 
to  be  read  to  us ;  but  before  its  arrival  the  Con- 
ference had  adjourned,  and  he  himself  had  taken 
his  departure  to  the  better  world. 

From  the  Rev.  R.  A.  Chase,  of  the  East  Maine 
Conference,  and  Chaplain  of  the  Fourth  Regi- 
ment Maine  Volunteers,  we  have  some  interest- 
ing particulars  of  Brother  Gilder's  last  illness. 


284  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

He  contracted  the  disease  of  which  he  doubtless 
died  in  the  regimental  hospital.  On  the  8th  of 
April,  in  reply  to  a  note  from  Chaplain  Chase, 
he  dictated  a  few  sentences  expressive  of  the 
stale  of  his  mind:  "With  the  uncertainty  of 
life  and  death  before*me,  I  desire  to  express  my 
unshaken  confidence  in  the  merits  of  the  atone- 
ment of  Christ  as  the  only  ground  of  my  hope 
of  salvation.  I  am  not  afraid  to  die;  neither, 
except  on  account  of  my  family,  have  I  any 
strong  desire  to  live.  I  feel  perfectly  resigned 
to  the  Divine  will.  I  have  been  endeavoring 
to  trust  in  Christ  and  serve  him  ever  since  thir- 
teen years  of  age.  Nor  do  I  ever  regret  having 
entered  the  United  States  service.  I  have  no 
depression  of  feeling,  nor  any  buoyancy.  I  feel 
resigned  and  hopeful.  My  sky  is  clear."  Not 
long  before  he  expired  he  said  to  his  son,  u  I  am 
in  the  hands  of  one  whom  I  can  trust ;  I  feel 
that  I  am  perfectly  safe ;"  and  when  he  could  no 
longer  speak  he  intimated  by  signs  that  all  was 
well.  K  his  regiment  his  death  occasioned  the 
deepest  regret,  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  officers 
it  was  resolved  that  his  remains  should  be  es- 
corted to  the  depot  at  Brandy  Station  with  every 
solemnity  by  the  whole  regiment.  This  was  ac- 
cordingly done  on  the  afternoon  of  the  15th  of 
April,  1864. 

Thus  has  passed  away  a  Christian,  a  patriot, 
and  a  true  hero.     Armed  only  with  the  mio-ht 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  285 

of  meekness  and  love,  ambitious  only  to  fulfill 
the  duties  of  a  Christian  minister,  he  has  laid 
down  his  life  as  a  willing  sacrifice  for  his  coun- 
try and  his  God.  His  pure  example  remains  as 
a  precious  legacy  to  us  who  survive  him. 


ROBERT  ROBERTS. 

Robert  Roberts,  the  subject  of  this  memoir, 
was  born  in  a  small  village  in  Lincolnshire,  En- 
gland, in  the  year  1832,  and  died  in  the  city  of 
Brooklyn,  January,  1865.  At  the  early  age  of 
fifteen  years  he  experienced  religion,  and  at  once 
became  a  zealous  and  faithful  follower  of  the 
Saviour.  He  very  soon  began  to  feel  serious 
impressions  of  a  call  to  preach  the  Gospel. 
Following  these  leadings,  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  became  a  Local  Preacher,  and  four  months 
after  this  was  received  as  a  traveling  preacher 
among  the  Primitive  Methodists.  .  For  four 
years  he  traveled  until  he  was  received  into  full 
connection,  and  the  same  year,  1855,  he  came  to 
this  country.  He  brought  with  him  excellent 
letters  of  recommendation  from  the  Primitive 
Methodists.  Providence  directed  his  steps  to  a 
small  village  on  Long  Island,  where  he  was  re- 
ceived as  a  member  of  society,  and  by  his  cer- 
tificate recognized  as  a  Local  Preacher.  Here 
the  people  were  edified  and  profited.  Those 


286  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

who  had  a  right  to  judge  saw  that  God  was  with 
him,  and  that  he  had  a  gift,  and  deemed  it  proper 
that  he  should  go  forth  upon  this  holy  calling. 
A  vacancy  at  this  time  occurring  at  Sag  Harbor, 
thither  he  was  sent  by  the  Presiding  Elder, 
where,  during  the  balance  of  the  year,  he  la- 
'bored  most  acceptably.  Here  he  was  recom- 
mended to  the  New  York  East  Conference, 
where,  in  the  spring  of  1856,  he  was  received  as 
a  probationer,  and  appointed  to  Greenport,  L.  I.; 
in  1857-58  at  Good  Ground ;  in  1859-60  at 
Newtown  and  Middle  Tillage  Circuit ;  in  1861- 
62  at  New  Utrecht,  where,  at  the  desire  of  the 
Charge,  he  obtained  a  superannuated  relation, 
that  he  might  serve  them  the  third  year.  In 
each  of  those  places  named  God  blessed  his  la- 
bors, and  gave  him  souls  for  his  hire.  His  last 
appointment  in  1864  was  at  Cook-street,  where 
he  labored  until  his  death.  His  last  sermon  was 
preached  on  Sunday  evening,  just  two  weeks 
before  he  died.  An  unusual  solemnity  of  feel- 
ing seemed  to  rest  upon  him,  a  premonition 
that  his  work  was  done.  His  text  was,  "  What- 
soever thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy 
might ;  for  there  is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor 
knowledge,  nor  wisdom,  in  the  grave  whither 
thou  goest."  At  the  close  of  the  sermon  he 
'  gave  utterance  to  the  following  language :  "  I 
call  heaven  and  earth  to  witness  that  I  have  set 
life  and  death  before  you."  "I  this  night  de- 


SACKED  MEMOEIES.  287 

clare  my  skirts  clear  of  the  blood  of  you  all." 
"  I  feel  to-night  as  though  I  were  delivering  to 
you  my  last  message ;"  then  withhe'art  melted,  and 
eyes  suffused,  he  bade  them  meet  him  in  heaven. 
Prophetic  words !  From  that  church  he  went 
home,  sick  and  faint,  to  die.  For  two  weeks  he 
lingered  upon  the  shore  in  mortal  sickness.  UI 
have  a  great  desire,"  he  often  would  say,  "  to 
get  well  on  account  of  my  dear  wife  and  chil- 
dren." "I  feel  fully  resigned  to  the  will  of 
heaven.  I  have  no  fears  for  the  future.  My 
way  is  all  clear."  But  O,  how  did  his  heart 
yearn  for  his  dear  companion  and  four  little 
ones  !  Yet  even  this  was  but  temporary.  The 
victory  was  to  be  complete.  Grace  enabled  him 
to  yield  up  his  dearest  earthly  loves,  and  to  turn 
them  over  to  the  hands  of  Him  wTho  hath  said, 
"  I  will  be  a  father  to  the  fatherless,  and  a  hus- 
band to  the  wiBow."  •  For  the  first  night  during 
his  illness  his  wife  had  left  him  to  take  a  little 
rest.  About  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  was 
taken  worse,  and  asked  to  see  her  quickly.  She 
hastened  to  his  bedside.  "  My  dear,"  said  he, 
"  I  am  worse  ;  I  think  I  am  dying."  "  Well, 
*  Robert,  how  do  you  feel  i  is  it  all  well  with 
you  ? "  He  answered,  "  Yes,  it  is  all  well ;  my 
way  is  clear."  "  O,"  said  the  wife  to  the  dying 
man,  how  can  I  give  you  up !  What  will  be- 
come of  the  poor  children?"  "My  dear,  1  be- 
lieve God  will* take  care  of  you  and  them,  and 


I 


288  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

that  you  will  be  able  to  keep  them  with  you 
and  bring  them  up."  A  few  questions  and  an- 
swers more,  and  they  could  be  but  few,  for  life 
was  fast  ebbing  out.  "  Where,  dear  Robert,  do 
you  wish  to  be  buried  ? "  "  Lay  me  in  the  grave- 
yard at  Bay  Ridge,  by  the  side  of  my  dear  little 
boy,"  "And  now.  my  dear,  I  am  going;  let 
me  kiss  you  once  more."  She  leaned  down, 
and  the  last  kiss  was  given.  Ah,  that  last  token 
of  undying  love ;  how  sacred  !  He  was  now 
entering  the  cold  waters,  and  they  were  won- 
derfully smooth  about  that  time.  He  praised 
God  until  his  speech  began  to  falter,  when,  sum- 
moning his  remaining  strength,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Victory !  victory  !  victory  through  the  blood 
of  Jesus  !"  And  then  sinking  into  the  arms  of 
death,  sweetly  slept  in  Jesus  without  a  struggle  or 
a  groan,  aged  thirty-three  years  and  two  months. 
•  9 


GERSHOM  PIERCE. 

Gershom  Pierce  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the 
!N"ew  York  Conference  in  the  spring  of  1803, 
and  stationed  at  Plattsburgh.  His  appoint-* 
ments  thereafter  w^e  as  follows  :  In  1804  at 
Fletcher  ;  1805,  Niagara  ;  1806,  Oswegatchic  ; 
1807,  Dunh'am  ;  1808,  Saratoga;  1809-10,  Gran- 
ville;  1811,  Thurman  ;  1812,  Grand  Isle; 
1813-14,  Cambridge;  1815-16,. Montgomery ; 


,  SACRED  MEMORIES.  289 

1817-18,  Sharon  ;  1819,  Albany ;  1820,  Coey- 
mans;  1821-22,  Chatham  ;  1823-24,  Granville  ; 
1825-26,  Pittsfield ;  1827,  Burlington  ;  1828-29, 
Redding ;  1830-31,  Hempstead  and  Hunting- 
ton.  At  the  Conference  of  1832  he  became 
superannuated,  and  continued  in  that  relation 
to  the  period  of  his  death. 

Brother  Pierce  is  remembered  by  the  older 
members  of  the  Conference  as  manifesting  much 
more  than  ordinary  ability.  His  intellect,  in 
force  and  habit,  is  best  described  by  the  expres- 
sion "  long-headed/'  He  was  a  devout  man,  at 
times  a  most  powerful  preacher.  His  sermons, 
weighty  with  thought,  fervid  with  feeling,  and 
in  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  made  a  deep  and 
abiding  impression.  He  died  in  much  peace  at 
Milan,  Ohio,  on  the  23d  of  March,  1865. 


JOHN    F.    BOOTH, 

John  F.  Booth  was  born  in  the  city  of  Brook- 
lyn, L.  I.,  June  1,  1829,  and  died  of  congestion 
of  the  lungs  at  Greenpoint,  L.  I.,  on  Sabbath 
morning,  November  26,  1865,  after  a  few  days 

of  severe  illness. 

•, 

Brother  Booth  entered  the  New  York  East 
Conference  in  1855,  and  passed  all  his  itinerant 
ministry  on  Long  Island.  He  was  appointed 

successively  to  the  following  places:  In  1855-56 
19 


290  SACRED  MEMORIES.  » 

New  Utrecht ;  1857-58,  Port  Jefferson  ;  1859- 
60,  Sag  Harbor;  1861-62,  Fleet-street,  Brook- 
lyn; 1863-65,  Greenpoint. 

His  ministry  was  short,  but  decisive,  and  was 
crowned  with  large  success,  A  circumstance  oc- 
curred on  the  threshold  of  his  public  life  that 
demonstrated  the  sterling  character  of  the  young 
itinerant.  At  his  first  appointment  the  town  of 
New  Utrecht  was  visited  with  an  alarming  epi- 
demic. The  whole  neighborhood  was  stricken 
with  yellow  fever,  and  while  all  hearts  were  fail- 
ing them  for  fear,  this  brave  and  earnest  minis- 
ter clung  steadily  to  his  duty,  and  never  deserted 
his  post,  until  at  last,  worn  out  with  work  and 
watching,  he  was  ordered  by  his  physician  to 
leave  the  infected  district  long  enough  to  some- 
what recover  his  wasted  energies.  Before  he  was 
hardly  well  again,  however,  he  was  back  with 
his  flock,  ready  to  suffer  or  to  die.  And  this 
same  spirit  of  bold  daring  to  do  his  duty  char- 
acterized him  to  the  end  of  his  ministry. 

After  serving  our  Churches  at  Port  Jefferson 
and  Sag  Harbor  with  great  acceptance  and  use- 
fulness, Brother  Booth,  very  unexpectedly  to 
himself,  was  appointed  to  the  charge  of  the 
>  Fleet-street  Church  of  Brooklyn,  one  of  the  lar- 
gest societies  of  our  denomination.  This  ap- 
pointment was  all  the  more  embarrassing  because 
it  covered  the  part  of  Brooklyn  where  Brother 
Booth  had  spent  all  his  boyhood  and  young  man- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  201 

hood,  so  that  it  was  with  the  feeling  that  "  a 
prophet  is  not  without  honor  save  in  his  own 
country  and  among  his  own  kindred,"  that  he 
finally  and  reluctantly  assumed  this  charge ;  but 
no  one  of  its  honored  pastors  ever  better  fulfilled 
his  mission,  or  has  a  more  fragrant  name  among 
that  good  people.  It  was  during  his  pastorate 
in  Brooklyn  that  his  noble  patriotism  found  am- 
ple development  in  the  care  of  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  tbat  thronged  the  hospitals  of 
the  vicinity  ;  and  so  thoroughly  did  he  enter 
into  this  work  that  he  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  whole  community.  He  subsequently  spent 
a  number  of  weeks  in  the  service  of  the  Christian 
Commission,  and  proved  himself  so  adapted  by 
executive  ability,  as  well  as  the  most  delicate 
and  beautiful  sympathy  with  the  sick  and  af- 
flicted, that  the  Commission  was  very  anxious  to 
secure  his  entire  time  for  their  service  as  a  gen- 
eral field  agent  in  the  arrangement  and  dispen- 
sation of  their  noble  charities. 

Brother  Booth's  crowning  excellence  was  his 
heart-devotion  to  the  young.  In  the  work  of 
the  Sunday-school  he  was  a  model  minister. 
He  acted  upon  Jthe  philosophy  of  securing  the 
children  for  God,  as  the  surest  way  of  securing 
the  world  for  him. 

The  closing  year  of  his  life  was  devoted  to  the 
enterprise  of  building  a  new  church  at  Green- 
point,  and  it  was  through  his  utter  devotion  to 


292  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

this  work  that  he  became  so  exhausted  that  wheu 
a  severe  pneumonia  seized  him  he  had  not  suffi- 
cient vitality  to  resist  the  attack,  and  peacefully 
yielded  to  die.  As  a  Christian,  Brother  Booth's 
profession  was  not  loud  or  ostentatious,  but  re- 
markably firm  and  consistent.  A  few  weeks 
before  his  death  he  received  a  most  gracious 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  it  was  in  the 
fullness  of  .that  baptism  that  death  found  him. 
The  members  of  the  Conference  and  brethren  of 
the  Churches  he  served  will  long  cherish  his 
memory  as  that  of  a  faithful,  self-sacrificing,  and 
useful  minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  His  funeral 
was  very  largely  attended,  and  the  most  abun- 
dant evidence  given  of  how  deeply  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  lived  felt  his  loss. 


GAD    SMITH    GILBERT. 

Gad  Smith  Gilbert  was -born  in  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  September  22, 1814.  Here  he  died  Aug. 
1,  1866,  and  here  he  was  buried.  Brother  Gil- 
bert was  blessed  with  a  godly  ancestry.  His  par- 
ents were  pious,  and  their  names  stand  identified 
with  the  whole  history  of  Methodism  in  this 
city.  Their  home  was  one  that  religion  made 
happy,  and  here  the  Methodist  preacher  was  al- 
ways welcomed  and  loved  to  tarry.  In  such  an 
atmosphere  Brother  Gilbert  was  reared.  In  his 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  293 

early  youth  he  was  the  subject  of  converting 
grace.  He  soon  felt  his  life's  worR  was  to  be  a 
minister  of  the  blessed  Gospel  ;  and  his  parents, 
gratified  in  their  highest  wishes,  educated  him 
for  such  a  calling.  But  he  withdrew  himself 
from  his  covenant  with  God,  and  on  the  comple- 
tion of  his  studies  turned  to  secular  pursuits. 
After  a  few  years  he  was  reclaimed,  renewed  his 
consecration,  and  immediately  gave  himself  up 
to  the  work  of  an  itinerant.  In  1842  he  joined 
the  New  York  Conference,  and  was  stationed  at 
New  Milford.  Conn.,  subsequently  at  Woodbury 
and  Wolcottville.  In  1846,  on  account  of  the 
sickness  of  his  wife,  he  located,'  and  removed  to 
Louisiana.  While  at  the  South  he  had  charge 
of  the  Methodist  Church  at  Opelousas,  La. 
His  wife  dying  he  returned,  and  in  1848  he  re- 
joined the  New  York  East  Conference,  and  was 
stationed  at  Greenpoint,  L.  I. ;  afterward  at 
Southport,  Conn. ;  First  Place,  Brooklyn,  and 
Rye,  N.  Y.  In  1855  he  was  agent  for  the  Wes- 
leyan  University.  In  1856  he  was  stationed  at 
"Westville,  and  then  at  Port  Chester  ;  Second 
Avenue,  N.  Y. ;  Sag  Harbor,  L.  I.  j^)e  Kalb 
Avenue,  Brooklyn.  Last  year  he  was  reap- 
pointed  to  Southport,  Conn. ;  but  by  an  ar- 
rangement lie  had  made  to  provide  a  home  for 
his  parents,  his  residence  was  in  New  Haven. 

Brother  Gilbert  was  a  man  of  a  noble  heart. 
His  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  the  interests  of 


294:  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

others,  his  care  of  the  orphans  of  a  deceased 
minister,  m>  affection  and  solicitude  for  his  par- 
ents, were  beautiful  and  wonderful  in  their  in- 
tensity and  bountifulness.  Aa  a  friend,  he  was 
true,  generous,  and  faithful.  He*  possessed  so 
genial  and  kind  a  humor  tha't  it  laughed  in  his 
eye,  lighted  up  his  face,  and  good  nature  was 
contagious  in  his  presence.  He  was  a  model  of 
hospitality.  In  his  ministry  he  excelled  as  a 
pastor.  He  drew  into  the  Church,  by  the  influ- 
ence of  his  personal  intercourse,  many  of  the 
best  families  in  his  charge,  who  in  no  otherwise 
could  have  been  attracted  to  our  communion. 
He  made  himself  acquainted  with  all  his  flock, 
and  was  unremitting  in  his  attentions  to  the 
sick,  poor,  and  afflicted.  Few  have  established 
so  many  strong  and  personal  friendships  among 
his  people.  He  was  gifted  in  prayer.  He  knew 
how  to  hold  intercourse  with  Heaven,  and  draw 
blessings  immediate  upon  his  own  heart.  Dur- 
ing the  last  year  of  his  life  and  ministry  he  grew 
rapidly  in  spirituality  and  enjoyment.  He  was 
evidently  ripening  for  heaven.  His  sickness 
was  not^ong.  The  last  week  of  his  life  he 
shared  ^peace  and  overflowing  joy  not  to  be 
described,  but  showed  how  fully  happy  religion 
can  mak'e  a  suffering  man.  -A  day  or  two  before 
he  entered  into  rest  he  asked  his  father  to  pray 
with  him.  During  prayer  the  divine  presence 
and  o-lorv  filled  the  room.  He  could  not  restrain 


• 

SACKED  MEMORIES.  295 

his  emotions.  He  shouted  and  praised  God 
aloud,  and  said,  "  This  house  is  as  that  of  Obed- 
edora,  where  the  ark  of  the  Lord  rested.  It  is 
the  gate  of  heaven.  Heaven  has  come  down 
to  earth ;  the  angels  are  here.  This  disease  is 
drawing  my  body  down  to  earth,  but  Jesus  is 
drawing  my  soul  up  to  heaven.  I  shall  soon  be 
there."  And  just  before  his  departure  he  said, 
with  wonder  in  his  tone  and  face,  "  Is  this  dy- 
ing? It  is  felicity.  O  how  precious  Jesus  is! 
Glory  !  halleluiah  !"  O  is  it  not  a  noble  thing 
to  die  as  does  the  Christian  with  his  armor  on  ! 


THEOPHILUS   BKADBURY  CHANDLER. 

Theophilus  Bradbury  Chandler  died  at  East 
Woodstock,  Conn.,  June  20,  1866,  aged  forty 
years.  Brother  Chandler  was  born  at  East  Wood- 
stock, March  28,  1826.  He  was  converted  to 
God,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
at  the  age  of  fourteen,  under  the  ministry  of 
Ralph  W.  Allen.  He  graduated  at  the  W  esleyan 
University  in'  1850,  and  the  same  year  was  re- 
ceived on  trial  in  the  New  York  East  Conference. 
Providence  allowed  him  but  ten  years  of  effect- 
ive ministry,  in  which  he  served  the  following 
Churches  two  years  respectively:  Thomastori, 
Haddam,  Westville,!STaugatuck,  and  East  Bridge- 
port. His  life  was  one  of  many  afflictions. 


• 

296  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

While  in  college  he  was  obliged  to  suspend 
study  one  year  on  account  of  severe  illness.  In 
February,  1853,  while  stationed  at  Haddam, 
Conn.,  he  was  called  to  mourn  the  loss  of  an 
amiable  and  useful  wife  by  consumption,  the 
same  disease  which  has  now  laid  him  by  her 
side.  During  the  Conference  years  of  1856-58 
he  was  obliged  to  retire  from  the  regular  work, 
but  preached  occasionally,  and  for  some  months 
supplied  the  Mission  Chapel  in  Middletown, 
Conn.  In  the  spring  of  1859  he  resumed  the 
effective  relation,  and  continued  to  labor  suc- 
cessfully for  nearly  four  years,  when  he  was 
prostrated  by  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  and  his 
effective  work  was  ended.  For  three  and  a 
half  years  he  was  constantly  declining,  and 
was  many  times  brought  to  the  borders  of 
death  by  attacks  of  hemorrhage.  He  fought 
the  disease  with  a  perseverance  and  hopefulness 
truly  remarkable,  and  thus  prolonged  the  life  he 
could  not  save.  His  nervous  system  had  be- 
come exceedingly  weakened  by  his  ^protracted 
sufferings,  and  in  his  last  days  he  endured  more 
pain  than  often  falls  to  the  lot  of  those  who  die 
of  consumption.  His  physical  agony  was  often 
extreme  ;  yet  he  was  able  to  say  in  the  most 
trying  hour,  "  If  it  is  the  Lord's  will  that  I  be 
made  perfect  through  sufferings,  amen  to  it." 
He  had  the  most  perfect  victory  over  the  fear 
of  death,  and  gave  frequent  testimony  in  his  last 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  29? 

days  that  he  was  ready  to  depart.  Almost  his 
last  words  were,  when  the  waves  of  Jordan  had 
well  nigh  gone  over  him,  "  I  am  going  home  to 
die  no  more."  His  remains  were  taken  to  the 
city  of  Middletown,  and  interred  on  the  summit 
of  Indian  Hill  Cemetery,  where  they  await  the 
trump  of  the  archangel. 

Brother  Chandler  possessed  some  rare  excel- 
lences. His  mind  was  quick,  his  perceptions 
fine.  His  taste  and  sense  of  the  beautiful  such 
that  made  him  delight  in  nature,  and  the  rarest^ 
and  finest  expressions  of  poetic  literature,  and  a 
retentive  memory,  enriched  his  mind  with  a 
variety  of  select  and  beautiful  passages.  Con- 
stitutionally sportive,  kind-hearted,  and  social, 
he  was  eminently  companionable ;  and  a  certain 
playfulness,  that  never  offended,  shed  around 
him  a  bland  and  pleasant  influence.  As  a 
preacher  he  was  earnest,  glowing,  pathetic,  but 
practical  and  pungent,  and  had  he  enjoyed 
strength  and  health  would  have  made  one  of 
our  most  popular  ministers.  He  was  distin- 
guished as  a  pastor  by  wise  adroitness  and  inno- 
cent art  to  ensnare  many  into  the  path  of  life ; 
and  his  own  sufferings,  together  with  his  natural 
sympathy,  peculiarly  qualified  him  to  be  a  son 
of  consolation  to  the  afflicted.  His  memory,  in 
all  the  fields  of  his  ministry,  is  to-day  as  pre- 
cious ointment  poured  forth.  His  toils  and 
Bufferings  are  ended  in  eternal  rest  and  joy. 


298  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

ROBERT  TRAVIS. 

Eobert  Travis  was  born  in  Somers,  West- 
ehester  County,  December  15,  1795,  and  died 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  February  10,  1868,  in 
his  seventy-fourth  year.  He  was  converted  to 
God  in  the  old  John-street  Church  in  1817, 
and  joined  the  Conference  in  1822,  and  was 
stationed  on  Suifolk  Circuit,  L.  I.  He  subse- 
quently filled  appointments  in  Leyden,  Mass.  ; 
^ittsfield  ;  Burlington,  Vt. ;  Watervliet,  K  Y. ; 
Berne,  IS".  Y. ;  Sullivan,  N.  Y. ;  Haddam,  Conn. ; 
Derby,  and  Weston,  Conn.  ;  Hempstead,  L.  I.  ; 
Granby,  and  Cornwall,  Conn. ;  Bedford,  Duchess 
Circuit,  and  Pawlings,  N.  Y.  For  three  years 
he  acted  as  agent  of  the  ^Yesleyan  University, 
and  for  the  most  part  during  the  last  twenty- 
five  years  he  was  in  a  superannuated  relation. 

During  the  last  year  of  his  life  Brother  Travis 
lost  both  his  sons  —  his  only  children.  One 
was  a  minister  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  the 
other  a  lawyer  in  Westchester  County.  He  was 
deeply  affected  by  these  bereavements.  His 
ministry  was  not  marked  by  any  such  special 
facts  and  circumstances  as  to  call  for  record  in 
this  place;  but  his  record  is  with  God,  and  his 
reward  is  sure. 

For  many  years  he  was  a  constant  attendant 
upon  the  services  of  our  churches  in  New  York 
city,  and  his  very  last  service,  ten  days  before 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  299 

his  death,  was  in  the  administration  of  the  holy 
Sacrament  in  the  Jane-street  Church.  He  died 
in  great  peace,  and  is  now,  without  doubt,  among 
the  saved  in  heaven. 


HORATIO  N.  WEED. 


Horatio  N.Weed  was  born  in  Stamford,  Conn., 
December  30,  1812  ;  died  in  Essex,  Conn.,  May 
11,  1867.  He  was  converted  to  God  some  time 
in  the  year  1833,  when  in  the^ventieth  year  of 

\^x 


his  age.  He  joined  the  Ne\x  ork  Conference 
in  1845,  and  during  the  twenty  years  of  his 
ministry  served  the  following  Churches,  namely: 
1845-46,  Trumbull  and  East  Tillage;  1847, 
Westport;  1848-49,  Guildford  ;  1850,  super- 
numerary ;  1851-52,  Windsor  ;  1853-54,  Litch- 
field  ;  1855-56,  Stepney  ;  1857-58,  Burlington  ; 
1859-60,  Cheshire  ;  1861-62,  Clinton  ;  1863, 
Durham  ;  1864-65,  Essex.  At  the  Conference 
of  1866  Brother  Weed  became  superannuated, 
which  relation  he  held  until  the  time  of  his 
death.  The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  known 
to  the  writer  in  the  brightest  days  of  his  minis- 
try, when  his  people  were  pleased  to  speak  of 
him  as  the  acceptable  preacher,  the  faithful 
pastor,  the  affectionate  husband,  and  judicious 
parent.  His  piety  was  rendered  impressive  by 
its  consistency,  and  attractive  by  its  amiableness 


300  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

For  a  year  or  more  previous  to  his  death  it 
became  apparent  to  his  friends  that  he  was  thor- 
oughly broken  down  both  in  body  and  mind. 
Under  such  circumstances  it  is  not  strange  that 
his  feelings  were  not  always  buoyant  and  hope- 
ful, for  it  is  not  at  all  times  so  easy  to  rejoice 
when  we  look  at  things  about  us  through  the 
dismaying  medium  of  a  decayed  nature  and 
shattered  nerves.  They  do  not  like  to  hear  to 
reason  nor  to  grace.  On  the  first  Sunday  of 
March,  186T,  Brother  Weed  listened  to  his  last 
sermon,  partook^f  his  last  sacrament,  and  felt 
that  he  was  goifig  home  to  die. 

When  near  his  end  his  Pastor  proposed  the 
following  questions,  and  received  the  following 
answers : 

"  Brother  Weed,  present  indications  must 
lead  you  to  examine  the  foundation  of  your 
hope.  How  does  the  Rock  of  Ages  seem  to  you 
now?"  "Firm,  firm,"  was  the  reply.  The 
morning  preceding  his  death  we  informed  him 
that  he  wras  nearing  the  end  of  his  voyage. 
"And  now,  Brother  Weed,  the  storm  having 
spent  its  fury,  does  the  heavenly  port  look  at- 
tractive?" His  answer  was,  "Yes,  yes,  blessed 
be  the  Lord ! "  The  last  struggle  soon  came, 
and  he  was  no  more  among  the  living. 

His  funeral  was  numerously  attended  by  the 
different  classes  of  citizens,  and  on  a  beautiful 
May  day,  when  the  trees  were  all  blossoms  and 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  301 

the  air  all  song  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful 
Connecticut,  we  laid  his  body  in  the  tomb  to 
await  tlfc  trump  of  the  last  day. 


THEODORE  A.  LOVEJOY. 

Theodore  A.  Lovejoy  was  born  in  Stratford, 
Conn.,  February  18,  1821,  and  died  in  Water- 
town,  Conn.,  June  7,  1867.  He  felt  his  need 
of  Christ  as  he  saw  his  room-mate,  a  Roman 
Catholic,  kneeling  in  prayer  ;  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  was  converted  to  God  in  Brooklyn, 
!N".  Y.  He  soon  identified  himself  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  in  1847  joined 
the  New  York  East  Conference,  continuing  a 
faithful  and  valued  member  of  the  same  until 
his  death. 

His  grandfather  was  a  Protestant  Episcopal 
clergyman,  and  most  of  his  relatives  were  in 
that  Church.  His  family  designed  him  for  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  ministry,  and  his  early 
education  had  this  in  view.  It  was,  therefore, 
no  easy  matter  for  him  to  be  a  Methodist,  much 
less  to  be  a  Methodist  minister.  But  he  was 
ready  for  any  sacrifice.  He  loved  the  work  to 
which  the  Master  called  him,  and  never  lost 
sight  of  the  great  object  of  the  Christian  minis- 
try— the  glory  of  God  in  the  saving  of  men. 
His  highest  ambition  was  to  be  a  faithful  min- 


302  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

ister  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  had  but  two 
all-controlling  principles  in  his  life  —  love  of 
Jesus  and  love  of  souls,  and  hence  he  *uld  not 
help  being  a  useful  minister  of  the  Gospel. 
His  work  of  love  is  remembered  gratefully  by 
many  who  were  favored  with  his  ministry.  He 
was  cheerful,  happy,  a'nd  contented  in  every 
field  of  labor. 

Brother  Lovejoy  was  a  good  man  —  affable, 
sweet-spirited,  loving,  a  man  of  deep  and  ear- 
nest piety.  His  religion  was  not  an  impulse 
from  without,  but  an  inspiration  from  within; 
an  all-pervading  life  and  power,  beautifully  uni- 
form and  consistent.  He  was  always  the  same. 
All  who  knew  him  loved  him,  and  those  who 
knew  him  best  loved  him  the  most.  No  one 
ever  spoke  aught  against  him.  He  was  modest 
and  unassuming,  and  only  those  who  possessed 
an  intimate  acquaintance  with  him  could  know 
how  true  and  excellent  a  Christian  man  and  min- 
ister he  was. 

It  was  observed,  by  those  who  knew  him, 
for  some  time  previous  to  his  departure, 
that  he  seemed  peculiarly  ripe  in  all  the  Chris- 
tian graces. 

His  last  sickness  was  brief  and  painful,  but  he 
was  happy  in  Jesus.  With  a  mind  unclouded 
to  the  very  last,  he  was  not  afraid.  The  close 
of  his  earthly  work  was  one  of  holy  triumph. 
He  said,  "  Tell  my  brethren  of  the  Conference  I 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  303 

love  them  ;  tell  them  to  meet  me  in  heaven." 
To  his  wife  he  said,  "  Dear,  it  is  a  glorious  tri- 
umph— Christ  is  near — he  is  precious,  very  pre- 
cious." His  last  words,  uttered  just  as  he  was 
passing  away,  were,  "  I  want  to  praise  him — I 
feel  like  praising  him  all  the  time." 


WALTER  W.  BREWER. 

Walter  W.  Brewer's  name  appears  for  the 
first  time  in  the  Conference  Minutes  of  1834. 
For  twenty  years  he  received  his  appointments 
regularly,  and  attended  faithfully  to  his  minis- 
terial and  pastoral  work.  In  1854  he  was  placed 
upon  the  superannuated  list.  He  retired  with 
his  family  to  a  comfortable  home  in  Hunting 
Ridge,  a  beautiful  and  rural  district  in  the  town 
of  Stamford,  Conn.  As  he  had  strength  he 
preached  to  the  people,  and  taught  in  the  Sab- 
bath-school. He  strove  earnestly  to  finish  the 
work  which  God  gave  him  to  do. 

Brother  Brewer  was  an   earnest  worker  for 
God  and  man.     In  the  last  winter  his  health, 
never  very  firm,  gave  way,  and  after  a  brief  ill 
ness  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 

Brother  Brewer  was  a  good  man — faithful  in 
all  the  relations  of  life,  a  zealous  minister,  and 
a  very  industrious  pastor.  His  record  is  on 
high,  and  in  the  day  of  reward  many  will  call 


304  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

him  blessed.  An  appropriate  funeral  sermon 
was  delivered  by  Brother  "W.  C.  Steele,  and  the 
remains  of  our  departed  brother  were  interred 
in  the  graveyard  at  Long  Ridge. 

Brother  Brewer  was  a  good  man,  faithful  in 
all  the  relations  of  life,  a  zealous  minister,  and  a 
very  industrious  pastor.  His  record  is  on  high, 
and  in  the  day  of  reward  many  will  call  him 
blessed. 


JAMES  D    BOUTON. 

James  D.  Bouton  was  born  in  Roxbury,  Dela- 
ware County,  N.  Y.,  November  19,  1812,  and 
died  in  Gosh  en,  Conn.,  November  29,  1867, 
aged  fifty-five  years.  His  father,  James  Bouton, 
was  born  in  New  Canaan,  Conn.,  February  18, 
1764 ;  his  mother,  Sarah  Sandford,  was  born  in 
Redding,  Conn.,  February  18,  1778.  They 
were  united  in  marriage  March  9,  1793.  About 
two  years  after  their  marriage  (now  more  than 
seventy-five  years  ago)  this  young  couple,  with 
but  a  scanty  outfit,  started  from  their  home  and 
kindred  on  a  long  and  difficult  journey  to  seek 
their  fortune,  and  commence  together  the  battle 
of  life  amid  the  wilds  and  mountains  of  New 
YorE  Never  was  there  such  a  bridal  tour. 
Pursuing  their  tedious  journey  for  many  days, 
guided  by  blazed  trees,  sometimes  cutting  and 
bridging  their  way  as  they  went,  frequently  up- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  305 

setting  their  wagon  with  all  its  contents,  then 
repairing  and  reloading,  they  pushed  their  way 
along.  The  young  mother  of  but  seventeen, 
with  her  infant  in  her  arms,  was  sometimes 
obliged  to  walk,  and  at  other  times  would 
mount  the  back  of  one  of  the  horses,  (with  har- 
ness on,)  and  ride  over  rough  places  and  dan- 
gerous streams. 

At  length  they  reached  their  destination,  and 
located  in  Roxbury,  Delaware  County,  N".  Y. 
They  were  among  the  iirst  settlers  of  the  town, 
and  were  fully  acquainted  with  the  hardships, 
toils,  and  privations  incident  to  frontier  life. 
They  were  converted,  and  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  remained  consistent 
members  of  the  same  for  nearly  half  a  century, 
when  they  entered  into  rest.  Early  in  the  his- 
tory of  Methodism  in  Delaware  County  tlieir 
home  became  the  head-quarters  of  presiding 
elders  and  circuit  preachers  for  all  the  regions 
round  about.  Here  Ostrander,  Sandford,  Jew- 
ett,  Rice,  Martindale,  Richardson,  and  many 
others,  always  found  a  cordial  reception  and  a 
hospitable  home. 

David  Sandford,  their  eldest  son,  became^ 
a  minister  and  missionary  in  the  valley  of  the 
Delaware  forty  years  ago,  where,  by  incessant 
labor,  he  soon  broke  down,  and  barely  reached 
his  home  and  friends  to  die.  His  name  still 
lives  in  the  memory  of  many  who  \rnre  won  to 
20 


306  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

Christ  by  his  instrumentality,  and  is  as  ointment 
poured  forth. 

James  Daniel,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
blessed  with  pious  parents  and  a  Christian 
training,  became  the  happy  subject  of  convert- 
ing grace  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Feeling 
himself  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  preach,  he 
at  once  applied  himself  to  study  and  prepara- 
tion for  the  ministry.  The  Church,  satisfied 
with  his  gifts  and  graces,  as  well  as  the  genu- 
ineness of  his  call,  accordingly  licensed  him  to 
preach.  He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  New 
York  Conference  in  1835,  and  appointed  to  the 
following  charges  :  1835,  Deposit  Circuit ;  1836, 
Jefierson  Circuit.  (During  this  year  he  was 
united  in  marriage,  by  Rev.  P.  L.  Hoyt,  to  Miss 
Sally  M.  Johnson,  of  Sidney,  X.  Y.,  Nov.  3.) 
In  1837-38,  Delaware  Mission  ;  1839^0,  Kort- 
right  Circuit ;  1841-42,  Delaware  Mission  ;  1843, 
Catskill  and  Durham  Circuit ;  1844,  Durham 
Circuit ;  1845,  supernumerary ;  1846-47,  Ori- 
ent. In  March,  1846,  he  lost  his  companion, 
after  a  long  and  painful  illness.  She  died  in 
Brattleborough,  Vt.  In  August  4,  1847,  he 
was  united  in  marriage,  by  Rev.  Y.  Buck,  to  Miss 
Harriet  Kniblo,  of  Eoxbury,  X.  Y.  In  1848-49 
he  traveled  Xew  Utrecht  and  Grav;esend 
Circuit ;  1850-51,  Hunting-ton  South ;  1852-53, 
Patchogue;  1854-55,  Huntington.  In  Jan- 
uary. 18^,  his  second  wrife  died  suddenly, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  307 

leaving  three  small  children,  the  youngest  but 
ten  days  old.  In  December,  1855,  he  was 
united  in  marriage,  by  Kev.  S.  Landon,  to 
Miss  Sarah  J.  Wing,  of  West  Goshen,  Conn. 
In  1856-57"  he  was  stationed  at  Rockaway ; 
1858-59,  Jamaica;  1860-61,  North  Fifth-street, 
Brooklyn,  E.  D.  ;  1862-63,  West  Goshen, 
Conn. ;  1864,  Cornwall  Center ;  1865-66,  Ridge- 
field  ;  1867,  superannuated.  During  his  last 
sickness,  which  continued  for  about  one  year, 
he  suffered  much,  but  patiently.  He  was  first 
prostrated  by  bilious  fever,  from  which  he 
so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  preach  a 
few  times,  when  inflammatory  rheumatism  set 
in,  and  completely  racked  and  prostrated  his 
once  strong  and  manly  frame.  Other  diseases 
setting  in,  the.  case  became  so  complicated  as  to 
baffle  all  medical  skill.  But  his  soul  was  calm 
and  peaceful,  and  his  conversation  on  the  sub- 
ject of  his  preparation  for  death  and  prospects 
for  eternity  were  such  as  to  afford  the  strongest 
assurance  that  all  was  well,  and  that  to  die 
would  be  everlasting  gain.  He  rests  from  his 
labors,  and  his  works  do  follow  him. 

Brother  Bouton  preached  not  himself,  "  but 
Christ  Jesus  the  Lord."  One  of  his  last  utter- 
ances were,  u  Had  I  the  privilege  of  again  preach- 
ing Christ  I  would  be  more  earnest  than  ever. 
O  the  salvation  of  souls !  the  salvation  of  souls  !  " 

His  peace  of  mind  during  his  protracted  sick- 


308  *  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

rcess  was  uniform  and  constant ;  "  it  flowed  as  a 
river."  Once,  however,  he  seemed  utterly  cast 
down.  His  mental  agony  was  great.  It  was 
the  hour  and  power  of  darkness,  the  last  assault 
of  the  enemy  to  carry  the  shattered  fortress. 
But  the  "  eternal  God  "  was  his  "  refuge."  At 
the  close  of  this  severe  conflict  he  exclaimed, 
"  O  come  and  praise  the  Lord  with  me,  for  I 
have  got  the  victory  !  O  halleluiah !  "  To  his 
friends  he  said,  "I  have  realized  during  my 
sickness  a  depth  of  enjoyment  I  never  knew 
before."  Of  his  children  he  said,  "  Bring  them 
up  to  be  good,  and  fitted  for  heaven ;"  and  then 
repeated,  with  dying  accents,  "  It  is  all  impor- 
tant;  it  is  all  important" 

He  left  a  widow  and  six  children,  with  a  large 
train  of  relatives,  to  mourn  his  loss.  They  are 
still  living  at  the  date  of  this  writing.  He  never 
sought  popular  places  nor  special  appointments, 
but  always  went  to  his  fields  of  labor  cheerfully, 
and  cultivated  them  diligently.  Many  of  these 
fields  were  large  and  exceedingly  laborious. 
His  crown  will  not  be  starless.  When  the  an- 
gels shall  reap  the  harvest  he  will  doubtless 
come,  bringing  many  sheaves  with  him.  The 
words  of  Rev.  Seymour  Landon,  an  intimate 
friend  of  the  deceased,  will  be  a  fitting  conclu- 
sion to  this  memoir. 

"  There  is  good  reason  for  saying  that  .Brother 
Bouton  was  a  dutiful  son,  a  faithful  brother,  a 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  309 

devoted  husband,  a  tender  and  judicious  father, 
an  exemplary  and  blameless  Christian,  a  good 
preacher,  and  an  excellent  pastor.  He  was 
always  acceptable  and  successful  wherever  ap- 
pointed. 

"  Brother  Bouton  was  remarkably  gifted  in 
prayer  and  exhortation,  and  was  a  good  preach- 
er. He  was  '  abundant  in  labors,'  and  no  doubt 
is  entertained  by  those  who  knew  him  best  that 
he  shortened  his  days  by  overwork.  Nor  did 
he  labor  in  vain,  nor  spend  his  strength  for 
naught.  He  was  more  than  ordinarily  success- 
*ful  in  winning  souls  to  Christ.  This  was  true 
of  him  during  his  entire  ministry,  both  in  the 
New  York  and  the  New  York  East  Conferences. 
Pie  was  remarkably  happy,  and  promotive  of 
happiness,  in  the  domestic  and  social  circle.  He 
was  thrice  married,  and  had  children  by  eacli 
marriage,  and  yet  I  was  told  by  one  who  had 
the  best  opportunity  to  know,  that  there  was 
never  an  unpleasant  word  spoken  nor  feeling 
entertained  in  the  entire  family.  He  governed 
his  house  well,  and  so  he  did  those  portions  of 
the  Church  that  were  at  any  time  under  his 
pastoral  care.  Peace  and  harmony,  unity  and 
love,  reigned  wherever  he  lived.  So  far  as  I 
know  lie  was  universally  respected  and  beloved 
while  living,  and  is  as  universally  mourned  and 
lamented  as  dead." 


RE-UNION   SERVICES, 


AT  the  annual  sessions  of  the  New  York  and 
New  York  East  Conferences  in  1867  it  was  de- 
cided to  hold  a  re-union  during  the  following 
sessions  for  the  purpose  of  affording  the  mem- 
bers an  opportunity  of  renewing  acquaintance, 
and  of  interchanging  fraternal  greetings  and 
congratulations.  A  Joint  Committee  of  Ar- 
rangements was  appointed,  consisting  of  Revs. 
Drs.  M.  D'C.  Crawford,  W.  H.  Ferris,  and  R.  S. 
Foster,  of  the  New  York  Conference,  and  Rev. 
Dr.  D.  Curry,  and  Revs.  W.  C.  Hoyt  and  G. 
W.  Woodruff,  of  the  New  York  East  Confer- 
ence. Under  the  supervision  of  this  Committee, 
and  in  accordance  with  its  programme,  the  re- 
union was  held  in  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  New  York,  on  Friday,  April  3, 
1868. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  New  York  Conference 
assembled  in  the  session  room  of  Dr.  Crosby's 
Church,  opposite  St.  Paul's,  and  the  New  York 
East  Conference  in  the  lecture  room  -of  St. 
Paul's,  and  at  a  quarter  past  ten  o'clock  both 
Conferences  proceeded  in  procession  from  their 
respective  assembly  rooms,  and  met  in  front  of 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  311 

St.  Paul's ;  tbe  New  York,  beaded  by  Bisbop 
Clark  and  Eev.  M.  Richardson,  a  venerable  man 
of  God  who  had  completed  his  sixtieth  year  in 
the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  with- 
in the  bounds  of  the  New  York  Conference; 
and  the  New  York  East,  headed  by  Bishop 
Janes,  who  supported  Rev.  Laban  Clark,  trem- 
bling under  the  honors  of  nearly  threescore  and 
ten  years  in  the  Methodist  ministry.  The  Con- 
ferences passed  into  the  church  by  two  doors, 
each  body  occupying  one  side  of  the  body  of  the 
house. 

Nearly  an  hour  before  the  time  appointed  for 
the  services  the  galleries  of  the  church  were 
filled  with  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  immedi- 
ately after  the  Conferences  entered  every  avail- 
able place  in  the  church  w^s  occupied,  and  St. 
Paul's  was  crowded. 

On  the  platform  of  the  pulpit  were  seated 
Bishops  Janes  and  Clark,  Rev.  Henry  Boehm, 
of  the  Newark  Conference,  the  companion  of 
Asbury,  who  entered  the  traveling  ministry  in 
1798,  and  who  has  still  rmich  of  the  fire  and 
vigor  of  youth,  although  in  his  ninety-third  year; 
Rev.  M.  Richardson,  of  the  New  York,  and 
Rev.  L.  Clark,  D.D.,  of  the  New  York  East 
Conference,  and  the  vice-presidents  of  the  meet- 
ing, Revs.  E.  E.  Griswold,  E.  W.  Smith,  J.  Z. 
Nichols,  and  S.  Yan  Deusen.  The  altar  was 
occupied  by  Revs.  Drs.  Curry,  Foster,  and  the 


312  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

other  members  of  the  Committee,  by  the  Secre- 
taries of  the  two  Conferences,  President  Lind- 
say, of  Genesee  College,  and  Dr.  Carlton,  of  the 
Book  Room.  Many  visiting  brethren  from  other 
Conferences  were  present,  and  were  seated  with 
their  friends  of  the  New  York  bodies.  The  pre- 
siding Bishops  and  the  patriarchal  fathers  be- 
hind the  pulpit,  the  venerable  brethren  in  the 
altar,  the  two  large  bodies  of  ministers,  and  the 
immense  audience,  presented  an  imposing  ap- 
pearance, and  in  itself  made  the  re-union  a  com- 
plete success. 

Bishop  Ames  was  detained  by  official  business, 
and  could  not  take  the  part  assigned  him  as 
presiding  officer,  and  Bishop  Janes  was  substi- 
tuted in  his  place. 

The  exercises  wA*e  opened  with  a  voluntary, 
admirably  executed,  by  the  choir, 

How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains, 
followed  by  the  hymn  commencing, 

And  are  we  yet  alive, 
And  see  each  other's  face, 

which  was  read  by  Rev.  J.  B.  Wakeley,  and 
sung  by  the  entire  audience,  led  by  the  choir. 
Rev.  S.  Landon,  of  New  York  East  Conference, 
then  offered  an  appropriate  and  affecting  prayer, 
when  Rev.  Charles  Fletcher  read  the  following 
selections  from  the  Scriptures:  Psalm  cxxxiii; 
John  xiv,  1-6 ;  2  Tim.  iv,  1-8.  Bishop  Janes 


SACRED  MEMORIES. 


313 


then  announced  that  the  Secretaries  would  read 
the  "Memoriam,"  when  Eev.  J.  W.  Chadwick 
announced  the  names  of  the  members  of  the 
New  York  Conference  who  have  died  since  the 
division  of  the  Conference  in  1848  : 


'JOHN  B.  MATTHIAS, 
DAVID  WEBSTER, 
NOAH  LEVINGS, 
JOHN  BANGS, 
CYRUS  Foss, 
NOAH  BIGELOW, 
THOMAS  BDRCH, 
JAMES  YOUNG, 
SAMUEL  U.  FISHER, 
GOODRICH  HORTON, 
JOHN  CRAWFORD, 
LYMAN  ANDRTJS, 
CHRISTOPHER  H.  HOEVENER, 
JOHN  C.  TACKABERRY, 
DANIEL  SMITH, 
T HERON  OSBORN, 
FREDERICK  W.  BRENNER, 
HUMPHREY  HUMPHREYS, 
CHARLES  W.  CARPENTER, 
BEZALEEL  HOWE, 
JEREMIAH  HAM, 
SAMUEL  D.  FERGUSON, 
T.  F.  RANDOLPH  MERCEIN, 
"WILLIAM  THACHER, 
PETER  P.  SANDFORD, 
WILLIAM  JEWETT, 
OLIVER  B.  BROWN, 
ROYAL  COURTRIGHT, 
ADDI  LEE, 
AARON  HUNT, 


GEQRGE  COLES, 
WILLIAM  B.  MITCHELL, 
JONATHAN  N.  ROBINSON, 
BRADLEY  L.  BURR, 
DAVIS  STOCKING, 
JAMES  RUSK, 
WILLIAM  JAY  Foss. 
THOMAS  DA  VIES, 
GEORGE  KERR, 
DAVID  HOLMES, 
STEPHEN  MARTINDALE, 
BRADLEY  SILLICK, 
BENJAMIN  GRIFFEN, 
PHINEAS  RICE, 
THOMAS  BAINBRIDGE, 
PELATIAH  WARD, 

JOSIAH   L.    DlCKERSON, 

NATHAN  RinF, 
CHARLES  BURROUGHS, 
RICHARD  SEAMAN, 
JOHN  A.  SILLICK, 
JOHN  B.  HAGANY, 
LEVERETT  G.  ROMAINE, 
REUBEN  H.  BLOOMER, 
THOMAS  E.  FERO, 
JOSEPH  T.  HAXD, 
WALTER  D.  TELFORD, 
J.  W.  BREAKEY, 
LORIN  CLARK, 
J.  WELLS. 


314 


SACRED  MEMORIES. 


Eev.  G.  W.  Woodruff,  in  behalf  of  the  New 
York  East  Conference,  then  read  the  following 
roll  of  the  members  of  that  Conference  who  had 
died  since  its  organization : 


MOSES  BLYDENBURGH, 
JESSE  HUNT, 
ORLANDO  STARR,      . 
WILLIAM  DIXON, 
ELIJAH  CRAWFORD, 
ELIJAH  WOOLSEY, 
EZRA  JAGGER, 
STEPHEN  OLIN, 
WILLIAM  K.  STOPFORD. 
BARTHOLOMEW  CREAGH, 
WILLIAM  M'K.  BANGS, 
OLIVER  STKES, 
ROBERT  SENEY, 
JOHN*  G-.  SMITH, 
CHARLES  BARTLETT, 
DAVID  MILLER, 
PARMELE  CHAMBERLIN. 
JOHN*  M.  PEASE, 
SAMUEL  W.  LAW, 
JOSEPH  FARGER, 
MITCHELL  B.  BULL, 
EBENEZER  WASHBURN, 
HORACE  BARTLETT, 
SAMUEL  W.  SMITH, 
JOHN*  NIXON. 


JosfepH  D.  MARSHALL, 


W.  W.  BREWER. 


NOBLE  W.  THOMAS, 
NICHOLAS  WHITE, 
JACOB  SHAW, 
PHIXEAS  COOK, 
JOSEPH  LAW, 
JOHN*  J.  MATTHIAS 
CHARLES  REDFIELD, 
NATHAN*  BANGS, 
JAMES  H.  PERRY, 
THOMAS  GERALDS, 
BCEL  GOODSELL. 
RAPHAEL  GILBERT, 
JAMES  FLOY, 
JOHN  ELLIS, 
JOHN  KENNADAY, 
WILLIAM  H.  GILDER, 
ROBERT  ROBERTS, 
CHARLES  R.  ADAMS, 
GERSHOM  PIERCE, 
JOHN*  F.  BOOTH, 
T.  B.  CHANDLER, 
GAD  S.  GILBERT, 
H.  N.  WEED, 
T.  A.  LOVEJOY, 
J.  D.  BOUTON, 
ROBERT  TRAVIS, 


Eev.  Dr.  G.  S.  Hare,  of  the  Xew  York  Con- 
ference, then  read  the  hymn, 

Oue  family  we  dwell  in  Him, 
One  Church  above,  beneath,  etc., 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  315 

in  which  the  entire  audience  united  with  the 
choir,  and  filled  the  house  as  with  the  voice  of 
many  waters. 


ADDRESS  OF  BISHOP  JANES. 

• 

Bishop  Janes  then  said :  The  Committee  of 
Arrangements  have  been  pleased  to  allow  the 
Bishops  and  Messrs.  Richardson  and  Bangs  each 
fifteen  minutes  in  which  to  address  you,  and 
the  other  speakers  each  ten  minutes ;  so  the 
audience  will  not  expect  long  or  labored  ad- 
dresses. They  have  been  pleased  to  request 
me  to  occupy  the  first  few  minutes  in  conver- 
sation. 

At  the  close  of  the  New  York  Conference  in 
184:8  that  body  was  divided,  and  two  organized 
Conferences  were  formed.  From  that  time  to 
the  present  we  have  not  been  together  as  Con- 
ferences. We  are  met  at  this  time  in  the  form 
denominated  a  re-union.  A  re-union  implies  a 
previous  one.  What  was  the  union  that  existed 
between  us  before  the  division?  We  were  most 
ardently  united  in  the  brotherhood  of  Christ. 
We  were  also  laborers  together  in  the  ministry 
of  reconciliation,  not  merely  laborers  in  the 
same  work,  but  laborers  together  in  that  work 
with  each  other,  and  helping  each  other.  We 
had,  therefore,  not  only  the  fellowship  of  dis- 
cipleship,  but  also  the  fellowship  of  labor.  In 


316  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

these  respects  we  have  not  been  divided.  Our 
hearts  have  been  as  intimately  knit  together,  our 
fellowship  as  sweet  and  strong  since  we  have 
been  working  side  by  side,  as  when  we  were 
working  together.  Our  re-union,  therefore,  is 
simply  a  social  re-union.  We  have  come  to- 
gether, as  we  were  wont  to  do  annually,  to  look 
upon  each  other's  face,  to  shake  each  other's 
hands,  to  bow  together  in  prayer  before  the 
Infinite,  and  unite  in  thanksgiving  and  praise. 
And  I  trust  and  pray  that  this  social  meeting 
to-day,  being  religiously  improved,  will  be  a 
source  of  great  pleasure,  and  of  much  encour- 
agement and  comfort  to  all  our  hearts. 

We  cannot,  if  we  would,  avoid  referring  in  our 
thoughts  to  the  circumstances  at  the  time  of  our 
separation.  We  cannot  keep  from  our  minds 
the  history  that  has  been  made  since  that  event, 
and  almost  instinctively  our  thoughts  go  forward 
to  the  future.  We  cannot,  in  the  few  minutes 
we  are  permitted  to  occupy,  amplify  these  sub- 
jects. It  is  due,  however,  I  think,  to  the  occa- 
sion that  we  should  make  one  statistical  com- 
parison. At  the  time  of  the  separation  there 
were  47,678  members ;  at  this  time  we  have 
over  73,000  members.  At  that  time  there  were 
294  ministers,  now  there  are  more  than  500. 
Such  has  been  the  progress  these  twenty  years, 
and  if  we  would  take  time  to  give  you  pur  mis- 
sionary and  our  Sunday-school  statistics  it  would 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  317 

be  found  that  in  those  departments  our  progress 
has  been  equally,  satisfactory. 

My  feelings  incline  me  to  recur  a  little  more 
distinctively  to  the  lists  of  those  brethren  who 
were  with  us  at  that  time,  but  whose  bodily 
presence  is  lacking  at  this  time.  What  a  com- 
pany of  men  !  what  a  ministerial  power !  The 
patriarchal,  wise,  good,  long-honored  Nathan 
Bangs  ;  the  profound  theologian,  the  able  min- 
ister, Peter  P.  Sandford ;  the  loving  and  beloved 
Bartholomew  Creagh ;  the  courteous,  practical, 
useful  Martindale ;  the  intellectual,  scholarly, 
self-reliant  Floy ;  the  eccentric,  but  intelligent 
and  really  godly  Phineas  Rice ;  the  eloquent,  the 
popular,  the  successful  Kennaday ;  the  majestic, 
mighty,  learned,  but  humble  Olin.  But  time 
would  fail  me  to  refer  to  Seney,  and  Jewett, 
and  Matthias,  and  Hagany,  and  a  multitude,  or 
many,  at  least,  of  other  men  of  eminence  and 
worth,  whose  record  is  on  high,  but  whose 
memory  should  be  cherished  on  earth.  And 
then  another  class,  Mercein,  and  Foss,  and  Lawr, 
who  were  in  the  morning  of  their  ministry,  who 
were  yet  blossoming,  and  passed  away  before 
their  maturity,  and  upon  whose  memory  rests 
the  fragrance  of  the  Rose  of  Sharon.  How 
many  of  our  brethren  who  then  stood  with  us 
in  these  ranks,  whose  names  we  have  not  even 
called,  will  be  stars  of  the  first  magnitude  in 
that  beautiful  cluster  which  these  Conferences 


318  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

are  placing  in  those  spiritual  heavens  where 
they  that  have  turned  many  to  righteousness 
shall  shine  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.  I  ex- 
press it  as  my  conviction  that  we  have  in  the 
ministry  at  this  time,  in  the  fathers,  in  the 
brethren,  and  in  the  young  men,  as  much  wis- 
dom, as  much  qualification  for  the  work,  as 
much  devotion  to  it  as  there  was  at  that  period, 
and  I  believe  that  there  is  no  backsliding  in  the 
Churches  either ;  so  that  the  present  day  is  as 
good  as  the  past,  and  I  look  forward  to  our  fu- 
ture with  the  highest  hopes,  with  the  liveliest 
anticipation  ;  and  I  will  conclude  by  saying 
that  I  trust  these  two  New  York  Conferences 
appreciate  their  position,  and  will  feel  the  pe- 
culiar responsibility  that  rests  upon  them  from 
their  geographical  location  in  this  great  city  and 
the  surrounding  cities — this  center  of  many  in- 
fluences, and  this  place  of  general  power. 

Let  me  have  your  attention — I  cannot  en- 
large ;  the  watch  will  not  stop  for  me  to  talk. 
I  have  in  my  heart  to  live  and  die  with  you.  I 
received  my  natural  birthright  and  my  spiritual 
birthright  within  your  Conference  bounds.  1 
commenced  my  public  Methodistic  career,  also, 
within  your  limits,  and  I  shall  be  happy,  if  God 
orders  so,  to  die  with  you,  and  have  my  grave 
with  you  ;  and  yet  I  feel,  from  my  position,  that 
I  am  just  as  likely  to  die  in  China  or  India,  or, 
like  Coke,  on  the  ocean.  But  wherever  I  give 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  319 

up  my  spirit  I  intend  to  have  a  union  with  you 
in  heaven,  at  the  throne  of  God. 

At  the  conclusion  of  Bishop  Janes's  address 
Bishop  Clark  was  introduced^ 


ADDRESS  OF  BISHOP  CLARK. 

It  is  fitting,  in  my  present  official  relations  to 
the  New  York  Conference,  that  I  should  extend 
to  you,  brethren  of  the  'New  York  East  Confer- 
ence, the  friendly,  fraternal,  and  Christian  greet- 
ings of  the  body  over  which  I  am  presiding. 
Twenty  years  ago  the  old  New  York  Confer- 
ence having  become  too  unwieldly  for  manage- 
ment was  divided,  aifd  the  'New  York  East  Con- 
ference was  established  as  a  Conference  in  itself. 
I  am  here,  brethren,  to  assure  you,  on  behalf  of 
the  New  York  Conference,  though  you  havo 
been  separated  in  ecclesiastical  relations,  you 
have  not  been  separated  from  them  in  sympathy 
and  in  brotherly  love.  There  are  many  ties,  in- 
dividual as  well  as  Conference,  that  bind  us  to 
you  in  affection.  Those  ties,  instead  of  growing 
weaker,  have  become  stronger  and  stronger  with 
passing  years,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  speak  but 
the  unanimous  sentiment  of  my  brethren  of  the 
New  York  Conference  when  I  assure  you,  breth- 
ren, that  our  tender,  warm,  and  earnest  sympa- 
thies are  for  you,  and  how  ardently  we  rejoice 


320  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

in  your  prosperity,  and  pray  that  your  pros- 
perity in  the  future  may  be  like  that  of  the 
past,  only  still  greater.  To  me,  brethren,  this 
is  a  scene  of  ve^r  deep  and  solemn  interest. 
With  this  session  of  the  New  York  Conference 
I  shall  complete  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  my 
ministry. 

Twenty-five  years  ago,  trembling  and  halting, 
I  came  before  the  Conference  and  presented  my 
name  for  admission.  I  look  back  over  the  past. 
I  look  at  the  record  of  my  class  —  a  class  of 
eighteen  that  commenced  with -me,  one  ex- 
cepted,  who  was  received  only  for  transfer-r- 
and I  rejoice  that,  through  mercy,  thirteen  are 
in  tbe  effective  work  of  the  ministry.  Two 
have  located,  one  has  diedf  one  or  two  of  them 
have  been  laid  aside ;  but  we  present  thirteen, 
seven  of  them  still  laboring  in  the  bounds  of 
the  New  York  Conference,  in  the  effective  min- 
istry. I  look  back  over  this  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury with  mingled  emotions.  I  rejoice  in  what 
God  has  done  for  us  and  through  us.  I  rejoice 
in  the  manifestations  of  his  grace,  and  in  the 
triumphs  of  his  Gospel  through  the  ministry  of 
his  word.  Several  items  1  had  sketched  down, 
intending  to  present,  but  nearly  all  of  them 
have  been  presented  by  my  colleague  who  pre- 
ceded me.  The  noble  men  connected  with  this 
body  !  As  the  names  struck  upon  my  ear  as  they 
were  announced  by  the  respective  Secretaries, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  321 

O  what  memories  came  up  in  my  heart,  as  I 
have  no  doubt  they  did  in  the  hearts  of  each 
one  of  you ;  memories  that  can  never  die ; 
memories  that  are  linked  in  holy  affection  with 
those  champions  of  the  cause  of  Christ  that 
fought  the  battle  well,  and  triumphed  at  last. 

I  see  on  that  list,  as  announced  for  the  New 
York  Conference,  sixty  had  ceased  from  their 
labors,  -gone  to  their  reward  ;  and  for  the  New 
York  East  Conference  fifty-three,  making  a  sum 
total  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen  who,  during 
the  last  twenty  years,  ceased  to  labor  and  have 
gone  to  their  rest.  O  how  suggestive  to  our 
living  brethren  !  How  full  of  instruction  is  the 
lesson  which  this  record  presents  !  How  it  im- 
presses upon  our  hearts  and  minds  the  duty  of 
living  and  laboring  for  God  the  few  years  that 
remain  unto  us. 

In  the  details  of  the  comparative  statistics 
there  were  two  or  three  things,  additional  to 
those  already  presented,  of  great  interest  to  my 
own  mind.  In  1848  I  find  there  were  in  the 
New  York  Conference  25,769  members.  In 
the  New  York  East  Conference  21,373,  making 
a  total  of  47,152.  Passing  on  through  the  period 
of  the  twenty  years  of  our  separation,  I  find  the 
respective  returns  for  the  past  year  give  the 
following  results  in  each :  In  the  New  York 
Conference  37,446  members,  in  the  New  York 
East  Conference  35,312  members  :  the  two  Con- 
21 


322  SACRED  MEMOKIES. 

ferenees  having  run  pretty  equally  in  their  race. 
May  they  continue  in  all  coming  time  to  be 
generous  rivals  in  the  field  of  enterprise  for 
God  !  Holding  firm  this  grand  center,  and 
making  $e  triumphs  of  the  cross  glorious  amid 
its  wealth  and  wickedness,  may  they  also  send 
out  influences  for  God  and  humanity  that  shall 
permeate  the  whole  life  of  the  Church,  and  ex- 
tend to  the  farthest  limit  of  the  globe. 

During  the  centennial  year,  when  we  were 
recounting  the  triumphs  of  God  wrought  through 
the  agency  of  Methodism,  I  had  almost  feared 
that  there  would  be  begotten  in  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  the  people  a  spirit  of  self-laudation. 
I  Ihink  we  were  in  imminent  danger  of  it,  for 
the  fact  is.  brethren,  we  ourselves  had  not  com- 
prehended the  magnitude  and  grandeur  of  the 
successes  with  which  God  had  crowned  our  la- 
bors. We  as  a  people,  as  a  Church,  had  not 
comprehended  the  greatness  of  the  work  God 
had  committed  to  us,  and  the  responsibilities 
resting  upon  us ;  and  when  we  woke  up  and 
looked  at  this  work,  and  entered  its  details,  and 
summed  them  up,  there  was  great  danger  that 
a  spirit  of  laudation  and  of  pride  would  be  ex- 
cited in  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  I  am  not 
sure  we  have  wholly  escaped  from  it.  Rather 
should  an  overwhelming  sense  of  responsibility 
rest  upon  us,  holding,  as  we  do.  in  our  hands  the 
destinies  of  so  many  millions  of  immortals. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  323 

If  there  is  one  danger  in  the  Church  imperil- 
ing its  future — I  speak  here  earnestly,  thought- 
fully, and  advisedly — I  say  if  there  is  one  source 
of  danger  imperiling  the  future  efficiency  of  the 
Church,  it  is  in  the  decline  of  spirituality,  the 
loss  of  the  old  spirit  that  inspired  the  hearts  of 
our  members,  and  blazed  forth  in  the  ministra- 
tion of  our  fathers  ;  and  I  say  here  to-day,  with 
the  deep  and  solemn  conviction  resting  upon  my 
heart,  that  when  the  Methodist  Church  loses  this 
spirit  she  loses  the  chief  element  of  her  power. 
And  is  there  no  danger  of  this  ?  I  am  not  stand- 
ing here  to  sound  an  alarm,  but  to  awaken 
thought,  to  turn  soberly  and  squarely  in  upon 
ourselves,  and  look  with  clear,  scrutinizing  eyes 
upon  the  condition  and  prospects  of  the  Church. 
Have  not  some  of  us  come  almost  to  feel  that 
this  going  to  the  little  place  of  prayer,,  and  pray- 
ing loud  and  earnest,  and  having,  if  you  please, 
as  the  world  would  term  it,  a  stormy  meeting— 
the  sound  of  praise,  the  shout  and  the  voice  of 
thanksgiving — have  we  not  almost  come  to  con- 
sider it  as  bordering  upon  disorder  ?  have  we 
not  come  to  look  upon  it  very  much  as  our  sister 
denominations  looked  upon  us  thirty,  forty,  fifty 
years  ago  ?  and  do  you  not  recognize,  brethren, 
in  that  spirit  the  simple  but  strong  element  of 
the  success  of  Methodism  in  this  country  ? 

It  was  a  source  of  spiritual  power  that  took 
hold  of  the  hearts  of  the  great  mass  of  the 


324  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

people  ;  went  down  to  the  unintelligent  and  un- 
cultivated, (and  they  in  all  countries,  and  under 
all  circumstances,  constitute  the  larger  portion 
of  the  population  ;)  went  down  to  that  class  and 
took  hold  of  them,  warming  their  hearts  and 
baptizing  them  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  When- 
ever the  Methodist  Church  loses  this  spirit  and 
tone,  I  don't  care  what  else  she  may  have — she 
may  have  her  splendid  edifices  of  worship,  her 
colleges  and  seminaries  of  learning — I  don't  care 
what  other  appliances  she  may  have,  when  the 
Methodist  Church  loses  this  divine,  indwelling 
Spirit  she  is  shorn  of  strength.  A  Church  that 
would  live,  thrive,  and  grow  must  have  a  firm 
hold  upon  God,  and  a  deep  sympathy  with  the 
toiling,  sorrowing  masses  of  humanity.  The 
Church  that  loses  this  may  have  every  refine- 
ment and  every  elegance,  and  abound  in  wealth ; 
but  its  maximum  of  growth  and  power  is  al- 
ready attained.  !No  longer  will  wild,  wayward, 
wicked  boys  be  converted  at  her  altars,  to  grow 
up  into  merchant  princes,  large-hearted  men, 
princely  in  their  munificence,  as  well  as  in  their 
commercial  enterprises.  Any  Church  that  loses 
this  power  has  already  reached  the  maximum 
of  its  growth  ;  nay,  has  already  passed  into  its 
decline.  For  it  is  in  the  order  of  the  laws  of 
Providence  that  the  wealthy  shall  decrease, 
shall  go  down,  while  the  poor  and  the  strug- 
gling are  to  go  up. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  325 

That  is  the  history  of  all  families,  and  of  all 
men  ;  and  if  the  Church  of  God  would  preserve 
her  integrity,  would  preserve  her  power  of  ex- 
pansion and  growth,  would  maintain  her  hold 
upon  the  great  heart  of  humanity,  and  be  able 
to  wield  it  and  mold  it  anew  for  God  and  the 
cause  of  Christ,  it  must  preserve  its  connection 
with  the  sympathies  of  this  great  mass.  We 
have  reason  to  thank  God  that  this  revival  work, 
this  regenerating  power,  has  not  yet  departed 
from  the  Church.  In  the  providence  of  God, 
brethren,  my  circuit  of  travel  has  been  wide, 
and  I  have  been  called  to  visit  various  portions 
of  our  work  in  almost  every  part  of  our  own 
country,  and  I  rejoice  to  be  able  to  bear  testi- 
mony this  morning  to  the  revival  power  that 
exists  in  the  Church  in  all  parts  of  the  land. 
These  converts  are  literally  gathered  from  the 
world.  Over  six  thousand  five  hundred  conver- 
sions are  reported  for  the  New  York  Conference 
during  the  past  year.  May  the  Revival  work 
never  die  out  in  the  Church  !  May  that  Church 
— the  Church  to  which  wye  have  consecrated  our 
hearts,  our  lives,  and  our  all — move  on,  and  on, 
and  on  ;  just  and  generous  to  all  Christian  bod- 
ies laboring  in  the  cause  of  God  and  humanity, 
and  yet  aiming  to  achieve  her  own  glorious  mis- 
sion given  to  her  by  the  grace  of  God.- 

The  hymn  commencing, 

"Go  preMkmy  Gospel,  saich  the  Lord," 


326  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

was  then  read  by  the  Rev.  William  H.  Boole, 
and  sung  by  the  congregation.  At  its  conclu- 
sion the  presiding  officer  introduced  the  Rev. 
Marvin  Richardson,  senior  minister  of  the  New 
York  Conference. 


ADDRESS  OF  REV.  M.  RICHARDSON. 

I  rise  this  morning,  not  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  speech,  but  simply  to  offer  a  few 
apologies  for  not  making  one.  In  the  first 
place,  I  am  not  able  to  make  a  speech.  Since 
last  July  I  have  not  been  out  of  the  precincts 
of  the  city  of  Poughkeepsie  till  last  Tuesday 
morning,  when  I  started  to  visit  this  place.  I 
have  not  been  able  to  preach  a  sermon  during 
the  year,  to  give  an  exhortation,  or  to  make  an 
address.  A  part  of  the  time  I  have  not  been 
able  to  visit  the  church  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
and  have  b^gn  confined  a  part  of  the  time  to  my 
bed,  and  to  my  room  ;  but  I  had  a  great  solici- 
tude to  visit  my  Conference  this  spring.  It  is 
my  sixtieth  Conference.  I  have  never  been  ab- 
sent. I  also  had  the  disposition  to  be  present 
on  this  re-union  occasion,  and  it  affords  me  great 
satisfaction  to  think  that  God  has  so  far  sus- 
tained me,  not  only  that  I  have  the  pleasure  of 
looking  over  this  noble  body  of  ministers,  but 
for  other  considerations.  I  jrave  attended  dif- 


SACEED  MEMORIES.  327 

ferent  ministerial  conventions :  the  General 
Conference  for  a  number  of  years  in  secession, 
the  conventions  of  other  Christian  denomina- 
tions, but  my  eyes  have  never  beheld  a  sight 
like  this — a  collection  of  between  four  and  iive 
hundred  Methodist  ministers  in  one  body.  I 
am  highly  gratified  when  I  see  the  providence 
of  God  opening  the  way,  extending  the  work, 
raising  up  workmen  competent  to  promote  this 
blessed  cause.  I  have  been  gratified  with  an- 
other fact :  I  have  had  the  privilege  of  meeting 
my  old  friend  Dr.  Clark,  eight  years  older  in 
the  ministry  than  myself.*  He  joined  the  'New 
York  Conference  in  1801,  and  I  know  some- 
thing of  his  hard  labor  in  the  early  part  of  the 
ministry.  You  recollect  Buckland  and  Whiting- 
ham  Circuits,  and  I  am  glad  that  GR)d  has  pre- 
served him  to  this  day.  My  debility  is  such  that 
I  cannot  give  utterance  to  the  feelings  and  the 
impressions  of  my  mind.  I  never  expect  to  see 

0  At  tl'iis  point  Father  Clark,  rising,  advanced  toward  Father 
Richardson,  the  latter  advancing.  These  two  veterans  took 
each  other  by  the  hand,  then  trhowing  their  arms  around  each 
other,  stood  and  wept  in  silence  for  a  momeut  in  the  presence 
of  the  vast  assembly.  Entirely  unpremeditated,  a  more  fitting 
symbol  of  the  deep  feeling  which  marked  this  re-union  service 
could  not  have  been  given.  A  wave  of  influence  that  was  in- 
describable, accompanied  with  divine  power,  seemed  to  roll 
over  the  whole  audience,  making  the  scene  deeply  affecting, 
and  a  fitting  type  of  the  glorious  re-union  iu  that  land  where 
"  there  shall  be  no  more  death."  Dr.  Clark  has  since  entered 
into  rest.  He  died  November  28,  1868.  aged  90. 


328  SACRED  MEMORIES, 

you  again,  brethren.  I  am  just  upon  the  bor- 
ders, ancl  very  likely,  in  the  course  of  another 
year,  you  will  hear  that  I  am  gone.  Dr.  Clark 
will  be  gone,  and  then  all  your  old  men  in  the 
New  Yoik  and  New  York  East  Conferences 
will  have  left  you  ;  but,  thank  God  !  there  are 
young  men  coming  up.  Praise  God  for  that! 
Now  you  will  accept  my  apology,  if  you  please, 
and  excuse  me  from  any  further  remarks. 

The  presiding  officer,  Bishop  Janes,  invited 
the  attention  of  the  congregation  to  a  few  re- 
marks by  the  venerable  Laban  Clark. 


ADDRESS  OF  REV.  LABAN  CLARK,  D.D. 

• 

It  is  seventy  years  since  I  embraced  Method- 
ism. I  embraced  it  as  the  cause  of  God,  and  I 
still  believe  it  will  be  to  the  interest  of  Christ 
and  his  kingdom  upon  the  earth,  and  if  we  are 
faithful  to  the  charge  we  shall  carry  on  this 
blessed  work  to  a  glorious  consummation.  It  is 
sixty-eight  years  since  I  commenced  my  public 
labors,  and  I  have  labored  and  toiled  with  a 
great  deal  of  satisfaction  ;  and  I  have  not  con- 
sidered the  sufferings  and  the  labors  to  be  too 
much  if  I  could  extend  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
build  up  his  cause,  and  promote  pure  relig- 
ion in  the  world.  I  love  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ,  that  heartfelt,  soul-cheering  religion  that 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  329 

gives  evidence  of  acceptance  of  God,  and  gives 
us  boldness  to  come  to  the  throne  of  grace  and 
claim  the  promise  of  the  Saviour.  O  be  faith- 
ful, then,  to  this  high  calling !  Do  not  forget 
the  holy  doctrine  of  Methodism,  the  witness  of 
the  Spirit,  the  evidence  of  our  being  born  again, 
the  glory  of  this  salvation.  I-  recollect  it  was 
said  of  my  class  by  the  president  of  a  co.lege 
many  years  ago :  The  Methodists  will,  after  a 
while,  become  more  contemplative,  more  modern 
and  orderly.  I  told  him  that  so  long  as  we  held 
the  doctrines  that  we  now  do  we  can  never  sink 
down  into  that  state  of  indifference.  "  What 
doctrine  ?."  he  inquired.  I  replied,  "  The  wit- 
ness of  the  Spirit."  He  did  not  know  what 
that  meant.  The  Spirit  of  Christ  bears  witness 
with  our  spirit  that  we  are  born  of  God. 

Bishop  Janes,  on  introducing  the  next  speaker, 
said,  "  The  next  name  that  we  call  is  one  that 
has  been  associated  with  our  Conference  for 
many  years,  and  will  be  for  many  years  to 
come.  This  name  is  honored  in  many  that 
have  borne  it,  and  are  still  bearing  it."  He- 
man  Bangs  was  then  introduced. 


ADDRESS  OF  REV.  HEMAN  BANGS. 
I  ought  to  be  excused  from  speaking.     I  am 
all  alone.     I  have  nobody  with  me.     I  have  not 
a  single  man  with  me  on  the  right  hand  or  the 


330  SACKED  MEHOEIES. 

left — not  one.  Here  are  three  men  older  in  the 
ministry  than  myself,  and  before  me  are  a  great 
many  younger.  But  I  am  here  alone,  the  only 
effective  minister  left  of  the  old  New  York  Con- 
ference when  I  joined  it.  I  believe  that  there 
is  one  other  living  to-day,  Dr.  Samuel  Luckey. 
I  don't  think  I  ought  to  make  a  speech.  .1 
ought  to  stand  here  and  let  you  look  at  me.  I 
can't  get  under  way  in  fifteen  minutes,  cannot 
get  fairly  warmed  up,  and  I  can't  talk  very  well 
until  I  get  warmed  up.  Well,  I  might  as  well 
tell  my  experience  as  any  thing  else. 

I  first  found  the  Lord  in  1800,  sixty-eight 
years  ago.  I  joined  the  Church  in  1808.  It 
.was  something  to  be  a  Methodist  then.  My 
parents  did  not  like  them  very  well,  and  they 
were  not  willing,  as  I  was  a  lad,  that  I  should 
join,  and  I  did  not  join  until  some  time  after- 
ward. How  many  Methodists  do  you  think 
there  were  then  in  the  United  States  of  Ameri- 
ca? One  hundred  and  fifty-one  thousand  in  the 
whole  connection.  There  are  more  Methodist 
ministers  to-day  on  this  floor  than  there  were  in 
the  connection  at  that  time. 

In  1815  I  joined  the  old  New  York  Confer- 
ence, extending  then  from  New  York  to  Quebec. 
All  the  Canadas  have  been  cut  off;  since,  the 
Troy  Conference,  and  part  of  Oneida,  and  then 
we  are  divided  into  two.  .  I  have  received  and 
filled  fifty-three  appointments  since  then.  I 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  331 

stood  one  year  supernumerary  on  the  Minutes, 
and  then  I  had  charge  of  a  large  Church,  and 
preached  all  the  year,  with  the  exception  of  a 
month  or  two.  I  have  attended  every  Confer- 
ence aince  I  joined.  I  have  never  missed  a  Con- 
ference, and  never  niissed  being  there  when  it 
opened,  nor  neglected  it  a  day,  in  my  life.  I  have 
been  stationed  twenty-five  years  in  cities.  I  have 
been  Presiding  Elder  (such  as  I  am  and  have 
been)  for  seventeen  years.  I  have  traveled 
nine  years  on  circuits,  and  have  been  in  the 
agency  of  the  University  to  get  up  a  college  for 
the  boys  here.  You  would  not  have  had  it,  I 
reckon,  if  I  had  not  done  it,  and  we  should  not 
have  had  you  here.  I  spent  two  years  in  get- 
ting it  up.  That  makes  the  fifty-three  years. 
I  finished  up  my  fifty-third  year  last  Sabbath 
with  three  sermons,  one  love-feast,  one  sacra- 
ment, without  any  help,  two  Quarterly  Confer- 
ences, and  a  ride  of  fourteen  miles,  and  eight  of 
them  in  a  buggy  without  any  back  to  the  seat. 
I  was  able  to  be  up  at  four  o'clock  Monday 
morning,  and  took  the  stage  and  rode  eleven 
miles,  took  the  ears  and  traveled  one  hundred 
and  twenty-two  miles  up  to  Tuesday.  I  then 
started  for  this  Conference,  and  I  am  here  to- 
day just  as  fresh  for  battle  as  I  ever  was  in  my 
life.  Now  I  said  I  had  better  not  speak,  but  to 
stand  here  and  let  you  look  at  me.  I  am  a 
monument  of  God's  grace  and  mercy.  I  do  not 


332  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

understand  it.  I  do  not  understand  myself. 
God  has  put  the  machinery  here  in  motion,  and 
he  keeps  it  in  motion,  and  for  what  purpose  I 
do  not  know  ;  but  I  suppose  it  is  right  to  keep  it 
going  as  long  as  it  is  oiled  up  well. 

I  sometimes  think  that  I  ought  to  step  out 
of  the  way,  and  let  some  of  these  younger 
and  learned  men  take  my  place.  I  have  been 
afraid  "sometimes  that  I  have  blocked  up 
the  way.  If  I  go  out  of  the  active  trav- 
eling ministry  I  am  going  into  the  Sabbath- 
school  and  teach  an  infant  class,  if  I  live.  Long 
ago  I  gave  all  I  am  and  all  I  have  to  God,  and 
never  took  it  back.  I  believe  there  is  a  heaven. 
God  has  blessed  me  wonderfully.  I  was  look- 
ing over  a  little  record,  and  I  find,  in  connec- 
tion with  my  colleagues,  we  have  taken,  on  the 
circuits  and  stations  where  we  have  been,  ten 
thousand  persons  into  the  Church.  (Turning  to 
Brother  Eichardson,)  We  had  thirteen  hundred 
converted  and  joined  the  Church  in  this  city 
in  one  year.  In  two  years  about  twenty-one 
hundred. 

Now  I  am  free  to-day  by  the  grace  of  God. 
I  am  free  from  envy,  from  jealousy,  and,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  free  from  the  love  of  the  world. 
I  do  not  begrudge  any  man  his  money,  nor  his 
popularity,  nor  his  influence,  nor  his  standing 
in  society,  nor  any  thing  else.  Now  go  ahead 
as  fast  as  you  can.  You  may  out-top  me,  you 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  333 

may  run  over  me,  if  you  have  a  mind  to  ;  I 
shall  not  put  one  single  block  in  your  course. 
Go  on,  go  on !  I  don't  care  how  much  learning 
you  get,  or  how  much  applause  you  get,  or  how 
much  you  do.  I  shall  rejoice  in  it  all.  I  was 
brought  up  in  the  woods,  and  could  not  go  to 
school,  but  felt  the  need  of  education  and  learn- 
ing, and  I  said  my  children  shall  not  labor 
under  the  disadvantages  I  have  had,  if  I  can 
possibly  avoid  it.  I  got  a  thousand  dollars  one 
day  by  a  patch  on  my  coat.  I  was  pleading  for 
the  University.  I  said  I  am  determined  my 
children  shall  have  an  education  if  I  have  to 
wear  a  patched  coat,  and  in  that  way  they  gave 
me  a  thousand  dollars,  and  I  thank  God  that 
my  children  have  been  educated,  and  other 
men's  children  too,  and  I  rejoice  in  it.  But  I 
hope  we  shall  attend  to  Father  Clark's  admoni- 
tion. We  want  the  form,  but  we  must  not  lose 
the  power.  I  am  happy,  and  I  hope  to  live  in 
glory.  My  wife  has  gone  up  since  we  parted 
Conferences,  and  six  of  my  children  are  there, 
and  four  more  on  their  journey. 

There  are  now,  I  believe,  but  five  persons 
living  that  were  in  the  old  New  York  Confer- 

O 

ence  when  I  joined.  Only  five — four  besides  my- 
self. The  four  are,  Laban  Clark,  Marvin  Rich- 
ardson, Samuel  Luckey,  and  Theodosius  Clark.* 

0  Fathers  Bangs  and  Lnckoy  have  both  entered  into  their 
eternal  rest  since  the  Re-union. 


334  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

If  I  live  two  or  three  years  longer  I  shall  begin 
to  be  an  old  man.  I  don't  trouble  myseli  about 
it.  I  don't  trouble  myself  about  to-morrow.  I 
live  happy  to-day,  and  let  to-morrow  take  care 
of  itself.  The  reverend  gentleman  closed  with 
God's  blessing  on  all. 

Rev.  A.  D.  Yail  then  read  the  hymn  com- 
mencing "  Jesus,  the  name  high  over  all." 

Bishop  Janes  said  he  was  requested  to  read 
part  of  a  letter  from  an  afflicted  and  aged  mem- 
ber of  the  New  York  Conference.  Brother  Ira 
Ferris,*  addressed  to  his  Conference : 

"  I  have  been  a  member  of  the  New  York 
Conference  forty-five  years.  Eight  years  before 
the  Troy  Conference  was  cut  off;  and  before  the 
New  York  East  Conference  was  formed,  I  spent 
eleven  years  within  its  bounds.  This  is  the  first 
time  I  have  been  absent  from  the  Conference 
session  during  my  connection  with  you.  As  I 
am  now  laid  aside  by  sickness,  and  confined  to 
my  room,  with  no  prospect  of  again  meeting 
with  my  brethren  in  session,  I  send  them  my 
Christian  salutation  and  brotherly  love." 

After  describing  his  severe  affliction,  he  con- 
cludes with  these  words : 

"  I  crave  your  earnest  prayers,  expecting  to 
hail  you  all,  together  with  the  loved  brethren 
who  have  gone  before,  at  the  throne  of  God, 
washed  in  the  blood  of  Christ." 

*  He  has  also  entered  into  rest. 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  335 

ADDRESS  OF  REV.  DAVID  BUCK. 

Rev.  David  Buck,  of  the  New  York  Confer- 
ence, was  introduced,  and  spoke  as  follows : 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  FATHERS,  AND  BRETHREN: 
Re-union  is  a  sweet,  precious  word,  pregnant 
with  thought  and  burdened  with  reminiscent 
ideas.  Understood  in  a  religious  sense,  it  im- 
plies previous  disseverance,  separation,  and  a 
state  of  isolation  and  loneliness.  The  truths  of 
sacred  history,  corroborated  by  individual  ex- 
perience, force  upon  us  the  conviction  that  sin, 
the  great  bane  of  the  race,  sundered  the  ties 
that  bound  us  to  God  and  his  family,  disfran- 
chised, disinherited,  made  us  aliens,  strangers, 
and  foreigners,  enemies  to  God  and  to  our  own 
happiness ;  it  rendered  us  poor,  homeless,  and 
friendless ;  sent  us  away  from  Gfld's  presence ; 
left  us  amid  darkness  and  fear,  without  any 
help  from  Heaven,  in  danger  of  eternal  death 
to  pursue  our  way  to  the  eternal  world  through 
a  land  of  snares,  pits,  and  woes  ;  but  a  brighter 
day  dawned.  It  wTas  the  day  of  our  return,  of 
our  reception,  of  our  adoption  into  the  family 
of  God,  and  of  our  re-union — a  day  of  bright- 
ness and  of  glory,-  when  the  sun  of  righteous- 
ness first  shone  upon  us  with  healing  in  its 
wings  ;  a  day  when  the  kingdom  of  God  came 
with  power;  when  God  and  Christ,  salvation 
and  heaven,  and  all  that  is  sweet,  and  precious, 


336  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

and  blessed,  became  ours.  Into  this  family, 
thus  reunited  and  reorganized,  the  great  Master 
came,  as  he  had  a  right  to  do,  and  choosing  one 
here  and  one  there,  and  another  yonder,  accord- 
ing to  his  will  and  pleasure,  as  to  persons  and 
numbers,  and  inspiring  them  with  a  quenchless 
love  for  souls,  and  a  spirit  of  apostolic  ardor  and 
moral  heroism,  said,  "  Go,  prepare  yourselves 
for  the  tight  to  which  I  have  called  you ;  put 
on  the  girdle  of  truth,  the  breastplate  of  right- 
eousness, the  shoes  of  the  preparation  of  the 
Gospel  of  peace ;  take  the  shield  of  faith,  the 
sword  of  the  Spirit,  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and 
last,  though  not  least,  the  mighty  weapon  of 
prayer.  Thus  clothed  in  panoply  divine,  like 
men  in  uniform,  go  forth  to  war  ;  unfurl  your 
blood-stained  banner,  the  banner  of  your  im- 
mortal commmnder.  Before  it  and  above  it  ele- 
vate the  cross  of  your  divine  Master,  the  cross 
by  which  you  are  to  conquer ;  seize  the  royal 
standard,  and  bear  it  forth  into  the  heart  of  the 
camp  of  your  ememies,  proclaiming  death  to 
treason  and  traitors,  death  to  rebels,  and  to  all 
the  hosts  of  sin  and  hell,  but  liberty,  peace, 
happiness,  and  heaven  to  all  penitent  and  sub- 
missive captives. 

Thus  from  our  midst  there  went  forth  origi- 
nally a  band  of  men.  though  but  a  handful. 
The  first  New  York  Conference  of  which  we 
hate  any  statistical  records  embraces  six  circuits, 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  337 

which  were  manned  by  twelve  traveling  preach- 
ers and  one  Presiding  Elder,  whose  names 
were,  Jesse  Lee,  Presiding  Elder ;  Matthias 
Swain,  James  Covel,  Nathaniel  B.  Mills,  Aaron 
Hunt,  John  Allen,  George  Eoberts,  Lemuel 
Smith,  Menzies  Eainor,  Robert  Green,  John 
Bloodgood,  Daniel  Smith,  and  William  Lo- 
see.  These  twelve  apostles  of  the  New  York 
Conference,  impelled  by  a  love  and  zeal  that 
knew  no  limit  but  that  of  their  own  earthly  ex- 
istence, went  to  their  fields  of  conflict.  While 
they  expected  the  victories  of  the  cross,  they 
knew  that  but  little  awaited  them  save  hard 
work,  poor  fare,  and  constant  and  severe  trials. 
They  returned  annually  to  their  Conference 
gatherings,  suspending  active  labors  to  look 
each  other  in  the  face,  exchange  friendly  saluta- 
tations,  compare  notes,  report  the  state  of  the 
work  among  them,  receive  their  appointments 
for  the  coining  year,  and  then,  uttering  their 
hurried  farewell  and  mounting  their  horses, 
started  off  on  a  new  campaign,  sweeping  over 
the  plain,  going  through  valleys,  plunging  into 
and  fording  rivers,  climbing  the  mountains, 
•  penetrating  the  forest,  and  opening  new  paths 
for  the  onward  march  of  incoming  laborers, 
whose  numbers,  continually  increasing,  became 
at  last  a  mighty  host,  made  up  of  men  of  re- 
nown, of  mark,  and  of  power — men  eminently 
fitted  for  the  work  and  for  the  time,  such  as 
22 


338  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

Garrettson,  Phoebus,  the  Bangses,  (two  in  heav- 
en, and  the  other  left  with  us  for  awhile  longer,) 
Washburn,  Emory,  Woolsey,  Draper,  Merwin, 
Sandford,  L.  Clark,  Stead,  Ware,  Ostrander, 
Rice,  Jewett,  Richardson,  Martindale,  the  Luck- 
eys,  Goodsell,  and  how  many  m<3re  we  have  not 
the  time  to  tell.  On  they  go  in  their  westerly 
march  until  their  increased  numbers  and  en- 
larged boundaries  calling  for  a  separation,  by 
the  act  of  the  General  Conference  of  1832  a  di- 
vision is  effected,  resulting  in  the  organization 
of  the  Troy  Annual  Conference.  Working  with 
equal  ardor,  their  numbers  increasing  still  more 
rapidly  than  before,  the  veteran  host  receiving 
constant  accessions  to  their  ranks  of  new  re- 
cruits, go  forward  in  their  work  until  the  body, 
becoming  again  too  large  and  unwieldy,  is  by 
the  act  of  the  General  Conference  of  1848  once 
more  cut  in  twain,  the  old  body  retaining  its 
former  name,  and  the  new  one,  distinguished  by 
the  addition  of  a  single  word,  for  the  first  time 
the  New  York  East  Conference  appears  in  his- 
tory. Divided  by  conference  boundaries  and 
in  conference  relations,  they  still  unite  in  feel- 
ing, in  faith,  in  sacrifice  and  effort.  The  body, 
now  existing  in  two  bands,  enters  upon  a  new 
and  a  still  more  glorious  career.  Baptized  by 
the  spirit  of  their  fathers,  and  intent  only  on 
saving  souls,  they  hasten  to  their  work,  to  the 
cities  and  villages,  large  and  small,  visiting  the 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  339 

• 

seaports  within  their  boundaries,  spreading  out 
over  Long  Island,  sailing  up  the  Sound,  gliding 
up  the  Connecticut  and  Housatonic,  exploring 
the  inland  counties  and  towns  of  the  States 
of  Connecticut,  Vermont,  and  Massachusetts; 
going  up  and  down  both  sides  of  the  Hud- 
son, through  Westchester,  Duchess,  Columbia, 
Schoharie,  Delaware,  Greene,  Sullivan,  Ulster, 
Orange,  and  Rockland  Counties,  on  they  sweep 
over  hill  and  dale,  plain  and  valley,  shouting  to 
each  other  ffom  the  hill  -tops,  cheering  and  ani- 
mating each  other  in  their  work  by  the  messages* 
and  assurances  received  of  increased  success,  and 
of  multiplied  victories,  until  after  the  separation 
of  twenty  years,  along  all  their  lines  and  through 
all  their  ranks  is  heard  ringing  out  the  cry, 
"  Re-union,  re-union  ! "  and  lo  !  we  find  two  of 
the  commanders-in-chief  of  the  great  American 
army,  with  the  generals,  colonels,  captains,  lieu- 
tenants, #nd  privates  of  the  New  York  and  New 
York  East  drawn  up  in  rank  and  file  within  the 
quiet,  sacred  roof  of  St.  Paul's  on  this  day  of 
grace  April  3,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1868. 


ADDRESS  OF   REV.  L.  S.  WEED. 

Rev.  L.  S.  Weed,  of  the  New  York  East  Con- 
ference, said : 

I  am  here  as  a  learner  to-day,  my  brethren, 


340  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

and  one  of  the  lessons  I  have  been  trying  more 
thoroughly  to  learn  is  this :  that  the  chief  end 
of  man  is  to  glorify  God  and  enjoy  him  forever. 
My  heart  was  touched  with  the  beauty  of  that 
thought  when  the  honored  Secretaries  of  our 
Conferences  announced  the  solemn  roll-call  of 
our  dead.  Heroic  men !  They  walk  the  streets 
of  that  city  to-day  whose  pavements  are  of  gold 
transparent  as  glass.  I  read  in  French  history 
of  one  who,  though  a  nobleman  by  birth,  en- 
listed in  the  ranks  of  the  common  soldiery. 
Preferment  was  offered  him,  but  refused.  His 
impulse  was  love  of  country,  not  of  glory.  On 
many  a  well-contested  field  he  earned  the  title 
they  gave  him, "'  The  bravest  soldier  of  France ;" 
and  when  at  last  he  fell,  it  was  decreed  that  al- 
ways in  the  original  muster  his  name  should  be 
called,  and  in  response  one  of  the  oldest  soldiers 
should  step  to  the  front  and  answer,  "Died  on 
the  field  of  battle.1'  We  do  well  to  remember 
them  to-day.  We  do  well  to  remember  that  as 
they  took  part  in  the  toil  they  share  in  the  tri- 
umph ;  that  though  they  rest  from  their  labors 
their  works  do  follow  them.  Yes, 

Servants  of  God,  well  done ; 

Your  glorious  warfare's  past ; 
The  battle's  fought,  the  race  is  run, 

And  ye  are  crowned  at  last. 

Thank  God  ! 

I  am  lea-rning,  too,  that  the  suggestions  of 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  341 

this  moment  are  rich  with  the  proofs  that  Chris- 
^tianity  is  a  supernatural  force.  Within  these 
later  years  many  books  have  been  published  in 
the  interest  of  what  men  call  "positive  philos- 
ophy," that  is  to  say,  a  philosophy  that  puts  the 
intellectual  above  the  moral  in  all  the  forces  of 
civilization,  and  then  in  the  esteem  of  some  puts 
,  mere  mechanical  causes,  such  as  climate,  soil, 
and  food,  above  intellection  itself,  substantially 
deifying  the  geography  of  the  earth  and  making 
it  the  great  disposer  of  human  destiny.  I  have 
often  wished,  when  reading  such  pages,  that 
philosophers  thus  writing  might  be  touched  with 
a  little  of  the  old  Methodistic  experience  of  the* 
grace  of  God,  and  thus  come  to  learn  the  mighty 
truth  represented  here  to-day,  that  in  reckoning 
up  the  agencies  that  give  shape  to  human  char- 
acter, and  civilization,  and  destiny,  the  Holy 
Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven  must  have  pre- 
eminently its  place.  Why,  sixty  years  ago  all" 
that  territory  now  covered  by  these  two  Confer- 
ences had  but  forty  active  ministers  and  less 
than  nine  thousand  members.  Forty  years  ago 
there  were  only  eighty -five  active  preachers  and 
less  than  thirty  thousand  members.  Twenty 
years  ago  we  had  grown  some.  There  were  two 
hundred  and  fifty-seven  ministers,  counting  out 
the  superannuated  ministers,  reporting  a  mem- 
bership of  about  forty-eight  thousand  members, 
and  an  aggregate  benevolent  contribution  for 


342  SACEED  MEMORIES. 

the  year  1848  of  about  twelve  thousand  dollars. 
Twenty  years  have  passed,  and  on  taking  the. 
statistics  of  last  year  (and  those  nineteen  years 
have  pushed  out  into  the  same  territory)  we  find 
returns  of  more  than  four  hundred  active  minis- 
ters, reporting  seventy-three  thousand  members, 
with  an  aggregate  collection  of  more  than  one 
hundred  and  ten  thousand  dollars.  Add  to  this 
the  churches  built,  the  debts  paid,  the  princely 
centenary  contributions  of  the  last  fwo  years, 
the  thousands  upon  thousands  of  happily  con- 
verted souls,  some  of  whom  are  in  other 
Churches,  some  of  whom  are  in  distant  places, 
1  some  with  the  sainted  over  the  river,  and 
you  have  to  this  extent  tangible  factors  in  a 
Christian  civilization  to  which  the  history  of  the 
world  gives  no  parallel.  But  by  what  power  . 
have  these  high  conditions  of  progress  and  of 
civilization  been  struck  into  being?  Are  they 
'the  product  of  the  schools  of  topography,  cli- 
mate, soil,  or  food  ?  No,  no !  Their  original 
cause  is  supernatural :  the  power  producing 
these  conversions,  producing  the  glory  of  the 
higher  life,  is  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  gathered 
here  to-day,  where  suggestions  of  what  God 
has  wrought  sweep  in  upon  us  from  the  dis- 
tant years  as  the  waves  of  the  sea  upon  the 
shore,  our  hearts,  like  the  eternal  anthem 
of  the  deep,  so  swell  to  heaven  their  song  of 
praise, 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  343 

All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name ! 

Let  angels  prostrate  fall  ; 
.   Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem, 
And  crown  him  Lord  of  all. 

And  this  retrospect  removes*all  our  anxieties 
for  the  future.  We  of  the*  East,  who  come  to 
strike  fraternal  hands  with  you  of  the  West  to- 
day, do  but  symbolize  by  this  act  the  great  heart 
of  the  world.  China,  Japan,  and  all  the  East 
on  one  side,  and  Western  Europe  on  the  other, 
are  stretching  their  greetings  across  our  conti- 
"uent;  and  as  with  us  so  with  them,  this  city  is 
to  be  their  final  place  of  meeting.  This  is  to  be 
the  entrepot  for  all  the  world.  Commerce,  as 
never  before,  will  throng  our  bays  and  rivers, 
and  must  have  wharves ;  magnificent  ware- 
houses are  to  line  all  our  shores;  merchant 
princes  are  to  crowd  these  streets;  the  din  of 
an  exhaustless  industry  is  to  swell  through  all 
the  air ;  the  wealth,  the  luxury,  and  the  v7ice, 
too,  of  this  metropolis  are  to  overflow  the  nar- 
rowness of  its  limits;  rural  towns  and  villages 
will  be  compelled  to  take  in  upon  themselves 
much  of  the  life  of  this  city,  whether  it  be  good 
or  bad  ;  and  sometimes  with  tearfulness  I  have 
asked  myself,  What  shall  be  the  issue  ?  how  can 
we  lift  this  great  future  out  of  the  mire  of 
worldliness,  and  kindle  it  with  the  glowing 
fervors  of  a  millennial  spirit?  I  look  on  your 
faces,  ye  men  of  God;  I  pass  in  vision  before 


344  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

me  the  victories  you  have  won,  and  the  forces 
you  represent,  and  I  think  of  those  who  shall 
come  after  you,  touched  by  the  same  spirit  of 
heroic  resolve  at  any  and  every  sacrifice  to 
spread  scriptural  holiness  over  all  these  lands, 
and  my  question  is^inswered.  I  look  out  again 
on  the  march  of  events ;  I  listen  to  the  tread  of 
coming  millions  that  are  to  overflow  all  our 
borders,  but  no  dread  now  strikes  my  soul ;  the 
voice  of  God  sounds  forth  from  heaven  like  the 
trump  of  battle,  "  They  that  be  with  you  are 
more  than  they  that  be  with  them."  Already, 
all  through  our  circuits,  and  stations,  and  Con- 
ferences I  hear  the  shout  of  the  coming  victory, 
"  The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ."  O,  my 
Saviour,  let  that  day  of  triumph  come ! 

Rev.  A.  S.  Hunt  read  the  hymn  commencing, 

"Zion  stands  with  hills  surrounded." 


SPEECH   OF  BEV.   DR.   CURRY. 

Eev.  Dr.  Curry  was  the  next  speaker,  and  on 
rising  said : 

The  whole  occasion,  the  scenes  around  us,  the 
exercises  that  have  already  taken  place,  have 
brought  me  into  a  condition  that  would  be  de- 
scribed by  a  certain  class  of  psychologists  as  a 
kind  of  superior  state,  lifting  one  out  of  his  im- 


SACKED  MEMORIES.  345 

mediate  sensible  surroundings  to  contemplate, 
not  phantasy,  but  some  of  those  realities  which 
lie  just  outside  of  our  sensible  observations.  It 
has  been  teaching  me  to  read  some  of  those  les- 
sons which  we  find,  not  printed  in  the  books, 
but  lying  between  the  lines  or  read  just  down 
below  the  lines — the  deep,  far-reaching  realities 
of  the  things  that  we  have  to  do  with.  I  have 
never  suspected  myself  of  being  much  of  a  hero 
worshiper,  and  yet  I  confess  that  the  presence  I 
feel  myself  surrounded  with  to-day — not  so 
much  this  material  presence  that  I  look  upon  and 
have  heard,  but  a  deepen  one — has  brought  upon 
me  somewhat  of  a  feeling  of  deep  devotion.  I 
could  wish  that  it  had  been  so  presented  as  to 
have  wrought  in  me  a  real  inspiration  somewhat 
in  harmony  with  the  greatness  of  the  occasion 
round  about  me.  I  am  fully  convinced  that 
there  is  inspiration  in  the  presence  of  greatness, 
and  a  man  that  is  susceptible  of  it  will  be  made 
greater  by  associations  of  an  exalted  character. 
The  very  fact  of  our  corning  together,  two  bands 
formerly  one,  had  in  itself  some  influence  to 
impress  our  minds  with  a  sense  of  something  a 
little  out  of  the  immediate  range  of  things;  but 
when  the  roll  call  came,  not  as  we  heard  it  each 
in  our  places  yesterday,  but  that  part  omitted— 
a  class  that  had  passed  into  a  higher  order- 
when  they  were  made  to  pass  tripping  before  us 
and  we  again  shook  them  by  the  hand  in  our 


346  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

heart,  it  were  not  strange  that,  under  those  cir- 
cumstances, we  feel  inspiration,  and  are  brought 
into  communion  higher  and  more  exalted  than 
our  every-day  affairs  of  life  bring  us  into. 

I  confess,  too,  that  I  am  inclined  to  the  notion 
that  the  place  where  we  are — the  fact  that  we 
are  assembled  to-day  in  the  city  of  New  York 
in  this  re-union  service — is  not  without  its  sig- 
nificance. There  is  a  spot  within  our  city, 
sacred  above  most  other  sacred  places,  where 
American  Methodism  was  born  and  cradled, 
and  where,  thank  God !  it  is  cradled  yet.  God 
forbid  that  in  obedience  to  the  demands  of 
mammon  that  spot  should  be  desecrated  from 
its  own  sacred  uses !  May  it  ever  be  kept  as  a 
memorial  of  the  days  gone  by  and  for  the  days 
yet  to  come.  Now  I  have  been  compelled,  as  I 
have  heard  my  brethren  running  over  this  sub- 
ject, to  let  my  own  mind  run  out,  and  to  con- 
verse with  those  men  of  the  past  and  with  their 
deeds.  From  that  point  as  a  basis  Methodism 
struck  forth ;  fif&t  in  the  immediate  vicinity, 
for  it  took  hold  upon  New  Rochelle  and  upon 
Long  Island.  It  was  presently  at  White  Plains; 
it  was  taking  root  in  the  midst  of  the  com- 
munity round  about  in  the  scattered  popula- 
tions ;  it  reached  out  by  and  by,  under  Freeborn 
Garrettson,  all  the  way  up  the  Hudson  River, 
along  Lake  Champlain,  and  possessed  the  ground 
at  its  first  campaign.  Jesse  Lee  carried  it  from 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  347 

New  York  up  into  New  England,  and  consti- 
tuted a  kind  of  local  Methodism  there ;  which, 
however,  bore  strong  flesh  marks  of  its  parent- 
age that  it  received  in  this  locality,  and  bears 
them  yet  most  nobly,  a  scion  from  the  parent 
stock  tlfat  we  are  a  little  proud  to  recognize  to- 
day. Another  band  more  heroic  still,  whose 
names  have  not  been  heard  among  us  to-day, 
Hezekiah  Calvin  Wooster,  Elijah  Woolsey, 
James  Colman,  and  others,  soon  to  be  followed 
by  Bangs,  and  Sawyer,  and  Case,  and  Dunham, 
pressed  through  the  Black  River  country,  beset 
by  savages,  and  planted  the  standard  of  Meth- 
odism in.the  dominion  of  Canada,  and  Canadian 
Methodism  to-day  is  New  York  Methodism,  a 
noble  scion  of  the  parent  stock.  We  hold,  un- 
der God,  this  central  position,  brethren,  and 
fcave  committed  to  us  a  very  high  responsibility, 
not  only  in  regard  to  this  position,  but,  as  I  first 
spoke,  in  regard  to  our  parentage,  the  men  that 
we  have  succeeded,  in  whose  places  we  stand, 
whose  duties,  begun  and  carried  forward  by 
them  very  nobly  in  their  day,  have  devolved 
upon  us  at  this  time. 

Their  names  have  been  mentioned  before  us 
to-day,  and  we  have  communed  with  them  in 
our  hearts  and  in  our  memories.  They  were 
men  fitted  by  God  for  their  times — men  that  the 
times  themselves,  under  God,  had  prepared  for 
the  work  which  he  had  ready  for  them  to  do, 


348  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

the  one  responding  most  faithfully  to  the  other. 
In  his  name  they  went  forward  doing  their 
work.  We  have  known  them,  and  the  older 
part  of  this  congregation  received  the  Gospel 
from  them.  I  would  have  liked  if  it  could  have 
been  possible  for  us — but  we  cannot  cover  all 
the  ground  possible  in  such  a  case — to  have  gone 
over  in  our  minds  the  mighty  men  that  we  read 
of  in  the  books,  and  that  our  parents  told  us 
about  in  our  younger  days.  I  have  thought  of 
Billy  Hibbard,  Seth  Crowell,  Nicholas  Snethen, 
Aaron  Hunt,  and  a  catalogu^  longer  than  I 
dare  attempt  to  mention.  I  remember  the  men 
from  whom  I  heard  the  Gospel  in0  my  own 
youthful  days,  mighty  and- able  men,  and  faith- 
ful in  their  work.  Now,  while  we  dwell  thus 
in  our  thoughts  upon  these  our  fathers  who 
have  gone  before  us,  and  whom  we  delight  1$ 
think  of,  and  with  whom  we  expect  a  re-union 
by  and  by  in  some  one  of  the  groves  of  Para- 
dise, where  we  will  have  a  re-union  larger  and 
longer  than  earth  could  afford ;  while  we  think 
of  these  men  we  are  brought  to  contemplate 
ourselves,  and  ask  what  manner  of  men  we  are 
and  what  we  are  about.  I  have  no  disposition 
to  glorify  either  the  past  or  the  present,  or  to 
expect  larger  things  than  rationally  may  be 
expected  from  the  future.  While  I  feel  hum- 
bled under  a  sense  that  we  have  done  less  than 
we  should  have  done,  I  am  very  comfortable  in 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  349 

the  conviction  that  the  scepter  has  not  departed 
from  Judah,  the  light  has  not  become  dim,  the 
power  has  not  departed,  the  mighty  Samson  has 
not  been  shorn  of  his  locks,  but  there  is  still 
power  in  the  Methodist  ministry  to  accomplish 
yet  further  the  work  which  God  has  given  us  to 
do  in  this  locality.  Let  us  look  out  upon  the 
lines  in  the  rear  and  in  the  front;  let  us  be 
taught  and  encouraged  by  their  pure  example, 
and  range  ourselves  accordingly,  and  go  after 
them,  conquering  and  to  conquer. 

But  from  such  a  position  as  we  occupy  to-day 
we  can  hardly  fail  to  look  forward.  We  are  at 
one  extreme  of  time's  rollout  there  is  before 
us  a  vista  opening,  far-reaching  as  the  coming 
ages,  and  infinitely  full  of  future  arid  great  re- 
sults. Now  I  would  say  a  word  to  these  coming 
generations.  We  hail  you!  we  are  waiting  for 
you !  or,  rather,  we  are  in  our  positions  prepar- 
ing the  way  for  you!  We  promised,  as  our 
fathers  devolved  upon  us  very  great  responsi- 
bility when  they  appoin*  }d  us  to  this  work,  to 
give  to  those  who  come  after  us  the  heritage  of 
labor,  a  heritage  to  work  in  that  shall  tax  their 
utmost  power,  which  shall  demand  of  them  that 
they  shall  rise  high,  reach  far,  and  strike  wide, 
in  order  to  accomplish  the  work  which  we  shall 
give  them  to  do.  We  are  not  going  to  finish  it; 
we  shall  rough"hew  a  great  many  of  our  plans 
that  you  have  afterward  to  finish.  AVe  shall 


350  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

• 

mark  out  a  great  many  fields  into  which  you  are 
to  go  and  accomplish  the  work. 

In  the  remarks  that  the  brother  just  before 
me  made,  he  cut  right  into  the  line  of  thought 
that  I  had  been  meditating  upon.  There  is  a 
mighty  conflict  before  us,  such  as  the  world  has 
not  known  before — a  conflict  not  of  brute  force, 
nor  of  gross,  brutish  infidelity,  but  with  an  an- 
tagonism, deep,  far-reaching,  yet  material — of 
the  earth,  earthy — with  which  the  power  of 
spiritual  life  is  called  to  grapple,  and  which  shall 
be  grappled  with  and  overcome  simply  by  that 
mighty  energy  which  in  the  beginning  was  God's 
manifestation  in  the  world  in  the  form  of  Meth- 
odism. What  is  it?  Christianity  in  earnest. 
Not  only  must  there  be  eloquence  and  a  pure 
Christianity,  simple  and  undefiled,  but  it  must 
be  nerved  with  all  the  mighty  power  of  faith, 
and  all  the  energy  that  distinguishes  \he  Amer- 
ican mind,  accomplishing  the  work  of  turning 
back  the  tide  of  sin,  less  by  the  simple  power  of 
argumentation  and  erudition  than  by  the  melt- 
ing, burning  influence  of  holy  love,  transforming 
individual  hearts,  and  uniting  those  hearts  to 
each  other  in  indissoluble  bonds,  until  the  world, 
redeemed  and  exalted  in  the  persons  of  individ- 
ual believers,  shall  become  Christ's  salvatien  re- 
vealed by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  351 

ADPKESS  OF  DR.   FOSTER. 

Rev.  Dr.  Foster  on  coming  forward  said : 
I  came  more  than  a  thousand  miles  to  be 
present  at  this  re-union-— came  with  unabated 
and  wearisome  travel  through  days  and  through 
nights  to  reach  this  place.  I  did  not  come,  how- 
ever, to  make  any  remarks.  I  had  no  thought 
that  I  would  be  expected  to  say  any  thing  to- 
day. When  1  left  the  city  on  a  painful  mission, 
I  had  hardly  the  hope  that  I  should  be  per- 
mitted to  be  here  at  all.  I  said  to  the  brethren 
who  had  invited  me  to  take  part,  "  You  will 
provide  some  other  brother  to  fill  my  place."  I 
came  expecting  that  the  place  would  be  filled, 
joined  the  procession  at  the  corner  of  the  street 
as  it  was  passing  over  to  this  house,  and  yet  I 
am  not  sorry  that  I  am  here  at  this  desk  to  say 
a  few  words.  This  occasion  has  been  one  of 
very  mixed  and  very  precious  emotions  to  my 
soul,  more,  perhaps,  than  to  any  one  in  this  as- 
sembly. I  have  been  mingling  with  that  spirit- 
ual concourse  that  I  almost  believe  to  be  within 
the  wralls  of  this  temple  to-day.  Four  days  ago 
J  sat  with  the  circle  of  all  my  natural  brothers 
and  sisters  around  the  coffin  of  my  mother. 
That  was  a  re-union  at  the  grave's  mouth.  All 
of  you  know  that  within  a  little  time^l  have 
been  walking  at  the  margin  of  the  grave,  on  the 
high  land,  looking  out  into  the  glory  that  is  inef- 


352  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

fable,  following  mj  own  glorified  child  into  the 
presence  of  God,  and  I  have  seemed  to-day  to 
be  one  of  that  spiritual  concourse  of  those 
great  and  glorious  men  that  have  passed  away, 
young  and  old,  having  finished  their  work. 
Glory  to  God ! 

I  do  not  know  that  I  can  control  my  thoughts 
or  emotions  so  as  to  say  any  thing  of  the  few 
things  that  have  been  passing  in  my  mind  touch- 
ing the  present.  .It  occurred  to  me  that  a 
word  might  be  fitly  spoken  concerning  the 
present  attitude  of  the  Xew  York  and  ]S"ew 
York  East  Conferences  to  each  other  and  to 
that  great  mother  of  us  all,  our  common  Meth- 
odism. And  the  thought  passed  into  rny  mind 
as  I  looked  over  this  concourse,  and  back  over 
the  line  of  thirty  years  of  ministerial  life,  of  the 
nature  of  that  union  which  cements  and  binds 
the"  hearts  of  Methodist  preachers  together.  I 
have  the  conviction  that  there  has  never  arisen 
an  organism  upon  earth,  there  never  has  appeared 
an  institution,  uniting  men  together  so  closely 
and  so  unspeakably  as  Methodism  has  united 
together  its  ministry.  I  doubt  much  if,  with  a 
large  part  of  Methodist  preachers  as  I  have 
known  them  for  these  thirty  years  and  more, 
there  is  any  tie  upon  earth  closer,  sweeter,  and 
more  saured  than  that  which  binds  them  to- 
gether. I  am  conscious  for  myself  that  though 
I  think  I  have  had  an  ordinary  share  of  attach- 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  353 

ment  to  my  natural  relationships,  the  tie  which 
has  bound  me  to  ray  Church  and  to  my  spiritual 
brethren  has  been  intense,  sacred,  and  sweet, 
and  I  believe  stronger  than  the  natural  ties  of 
life.  I  think  I  can  say  that  with  a  certainty 
that  it  is  true. 

I  believe  that  among  the  many  causes  that 
have  made  Methodism  so  great  and  so  efficient 
— I  will  venture  to  use  the  adjective,  so  glorious 
— as  I  believe  Methodism  is,  and  has  been,  no 
one  cause  has  been  more  effective  to  that  result 
than  the  unity  and  sacredness  of  the  tie  that 
binds  us  together  as  brethren.  I  believe  that 
spirit  of  sympathy  and  love  and  mutual  interest 
in  a  common  work,  cultivating  a  common 
ground,  laboring  in.  a  common  cause,  having 
common  lines  of  attachment  and  connection 
throughout  the  extent  of  Conferences,  has  made 
us  to  be  more  emphatically  a  community  of 
brethren  than  any  that  has  existed  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth.  Long  may  it  be  before  there 
shall  be  any  weakening  of  these  bonds !  far  be 
the  day  from  us  when  Methodist  preachers  will 
feel  that  they  stand  separate  and  alone  !  May 
it  be  forever  that  we  shall  be  a  band  of  brothers, 
having  common  interests  and  common  sympa- 
thies and  feeling  for  each  other's  woes !  I 
wanted  to  say  this  to  the  New  York  East  Con- 
ference. I  say  it  as  the  utterance  of  my  own 
heart,  and,  1  believe,  as  the  utterance  of  my 


351  SACRED  MEMORIES. 

Conference.  I  am  clear  in  the  conviction  that 
at  no  time  in  the  history  of  our  existence  as  a 
body  (and  I  believe  it  is  true  of  yourselves)  has 
there  been  with  us  a  more  intense  and  blessed 
faith  in  the  integrity  and  eternity  of  Methodism 
than  there  is  to-day.  I  believe,  moreover,  that 
there  has  never  been  a  time  when  there  was  a 
more  unbroken,  a  more  unswerving,  a  more 
deathless  loyalty  to  every  thing  that  belongs  to 
our  institution.  We  feel  in  sympathy  with  every 
idea  of  progress,  every  thought  of  improvement, 
every  advancement  to  increased  enlargement 
and  power  in  every  direction  that  may  be  born 
out  of  the  struggling  mind  of  this  generation, 
or  that  may  come  up  in  the  generations  to  come ; 
but  underlying  all  our  sympathy  with  progress, 
and  improvement,  and  change,  is  the  unswerving 
and  eternal  loyalty  to  Methodism  as  it  has  been 
handed  down  from  the  fathers.  I  believe  that 
we  have  as  much  confidence  in  the  future  ol  our 
Church,  in  its  piety,  enlarged  zeal,  efficiency, 
usefulness,  and  destiny  to  overcome  all  impedi- 
ments, and  sweep  out  over  the  whole  land,  as 
was  ever  felt  by  any  of  her  sons  in  any  period 
of  her  history.  I  give  yon  to-day  greetings  and 
salutations  from  our  Conference,  and  assure  you 
that  in  time  to  come,  as  in  the  time  past,  you 
may  expect  to  see  us  at  our  posts  working  pa- 
tiently, earnestly,  lovingly,  without  bigotry, 
variance,  or  hatred,  in  love  and  charity  for  all 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  355 

Christian  people,  but  toiling  by  day  and  by  night 
to  build  up  the  walls  of  this  beautiful  Zion  until 
the  Master  shall  put  the  top  stone  upon  it  with 
shoutings  of  grace  unto  it. 

Bishop  Janes  said  :  "  I  think  we  may  infer, 
from  what  the  last  speaker  has  said,  that  he, 
like  myself,  has  recently  stood  where  heaven 
and  earth  met,  where  young  disciples  of  Christ, 
in  their  dying  hour,  were  in  such  communion 
witli  God,  and  were  in  such  oneness  and  fellow- 
ship to  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect,  that 
the  family  was  really  united,  both  those  in 
heaven  and  those  on  earth.  It  seems  to  me 
that  we  have  here  to-day  an  actual  connection 
not  only  with  the  present  and  the  past,  but  the 
present  and  the  future.  There  are  those  here 
present  to-day  who  hardly  belong  to  the  present 
of  earth;  they  stand  in  advance,  and  it  seems  to 
me  that  they  are  an  actual,  appreciable  link  be- 
tween us  and  those  to  whom  reference  has  been 
so  affectionately  and  touchingly  made  by  sev- 
eral to-day.  Our  Father  Clark  hardly  belongs 
to  us.  He  is  only  a  loan  to  us  of  God  for  a  lit- 
tle period  beyond  his  natural  time,  and,  I  have 
no  doubt,  for  a  special  usefulness.  He  has 
spoken  to  us  to-day  apostolic  words.  I  believe 
his  utterances  have  been  very  much  like  those 
which  Jesus  would  have  given  if  he  had  stood 
here  in  his  place.  We  have  with  us  a  yet  older 
man,  one  who  will  be  ninety-three  years  of  age 


356  SACKED  MEMORIES. 

in  a  few  days,  a  man  who  commenced  his  min- 
istry in  1798.  I  believe  I  should  disappoint 
this  congregation  if  I  did  not  give  them  the  op- 
portunity to  see  his  venerable  form,  and  to  re- 
ceive his  blessing.  Shall  I  ask  him  to  speak  for 
five  minutes?" 

Loud  responses  of  "  Yes,  yes." 


REMARKS  OF  FATHER  BOEHM. 

The  venerable  Henry  Boehm  came  forward, 
and  said  his  heart  was  full  of  love,  and  it  pro- 
duced a  very  comfortable  feeling.  He  was  re- 
minded of  the  fact,  when  Jesse  Lee's  name  was 
mentioned,  that  he  took  care  of  him  for  weeks 
in  his  last  sickness,  and  he  remembered  that  the 
room  from  which  he  departed  in  peace  and  tri- 
umph was  unearthly.  Many  a  time  he  (the 
speaker)  took  Bishop  Asbury  off  his  horse  and 
carried  him  into  the  church,  where  he  often 
preached  while  in  the  midst  of  intense  bodily 
pain.  He  rejoiced  that  there  was  a  living  spirit 
in  Methodism  still,  and  while  the  holy  influence 
existed,  he  had  no  fear  of  vulgar  and  hidden 
infidelity. 

About  fifty  years  ago  he  (Mr.  Boehm)  met 
with  a  minister  who  said,  when  he  found  we 
preached  the  doctrine  of  holiness,  that  it  is  the 
privilege  of  Christian  believers  to  be  sanctified 


SACRED  MEMORIES.  357 

throughout  soul,  body,  and  spirit :  "  I  wonder 
if  such  devils  that  preach  such  doctrine  can 
have  forgiveness." 

Rev.  A.  0.  Foss  led  in  prayer,  after  which  the 
congregation  united  in  singing  the  doxology. 

Rev.  Laban  Clark,  D.D.,  pronounced  the 
benediction. 


THE   END. 


Opinions  of  the  Press, 

"  This  volume  contains  interesting  sketches  of  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  ministers  connected  with  the  New  York  and  Xew  York  East 
Conferences  who  died  during  the  two  decades  that  intervened  be 
tween  1848  and  1868.  It  will  be  found  deeply  interesting  to  many 
thousands  to  whom  these  noble  men  ministered,  and  with  whom  they 
mingled  in  the  social  walks  of  life.'' — Christ.  Advocate. 

"  The  general  reader  will  find  in  these  pases  muoh  to  instruct  and 
guide  to  usefulness  in  the  Christian  life." — Northwestern  Christ.  Adv. 

"As  illustrations  of  the  power  of  grace,  especially  in  the  toils  and 
struggles  of  the  itinerancy  and  in  the  ordeal  of  death,  these  records 
will  possess  more  than  a  mere  local  interest. ''• — 8.  S.  Journal. 

"  Many  will  be  the  fragrant  memories  which  this  interesting  volume 
will  inspire.  Says  Bishop  Janes  :  '  They  were  all  burning  and  shining 
lights,  and  some  of  them  glowed  with  peculiar  luster.  Taken  together 
they  form  a  galaxy  in  the  firmament  of  the  Church  upon  which  we 
look  with  much  admiration  and  pleasure.'  " — Guide  to  Holiness. 

"This  is  an  interesting  and  valuable  book."— Highland  Democrat. 

"  This  is  a  work  which  the  years  of  experience  and  scholastic  taste 
of  the  author  have  doubtless  made  as  faithful  as  it  has  pleasant." — 
Pouf/hkcepsie  Daily  J', 

"  The  author  is  entitled  to  much  credit  for  the  labor  he  has  be- 
stowed upon  this  work,  which  we  are  inclined  to  believe  will  have 
an  extensive  sale.  We  would  earnestly  commend  it  to  the  religious 
community.'' — Pouyhlcefpsie  Morning  News. 

"These  brief  biographies  will  be  found  exceedingly  interesting, 
not  only  to  the  immediate  friends,  but  to  the  Church  and  country  at 
large.  It  should  have  a  wide  circulation." — National  Tern.  Advocate. 

"  This  volume  contains  many  precious  names,  and  suggests  many 
valuable  lessons.  It  by  no  means  lacks  variety,  as  it  presents  men 
of  all  grades  of  talent  and  various  work,  such  as  itinerants,  mission- 
aries, historians,  authors,  etc.  It  will  be  a  welcome  book  to  many 
we  are  sure." — Ladies'  Repository. 

"  This  is  a  novel  collection  of  biographical  sketches  of  deceased 
ministers.  Among  them  are  some  well-known  names — Coles,  Foss, 
Ilagany,  Jewett,  Levings,  Eice,  Sandford,  Martmdule,  Bangs,  Floy, 
Olin,  Stocking,  Kennaday,  Perry,  etc.,  etc." — Sing  Sing  Republican. 

''  When  it  is  considered  that  this  book  contains  the  annals  of  men 
who  represent  all  grades  of  talent  and  adaptation,  such  as  itinerants, 
presiding  elders,  and  missionaries  ;  historians,  authors,  and  publish- 
ers ;  editors  of  books  and  periodicals ;  presidents  of  seminaries  and 
colleges;  delegates  to  the  General  Conference;  orators,  controver- 
sialists, and  divines,  it  cannot  fail  to  interest  the  general  reader."— 
Fbughkeepsie  Daily  Eagle. 

"  Eev.  Mr.  W.  C.  Smith  has  done  a  good  service  for  the  Church  in 
his  '  Sacred  Memories.'     The  author  has  thus  given  permanent  form 
to  those  floating  and  transient  records.     His  fist  of  worthies  is  nu- 
'  merous,  and  includes  many  famous  names." — Methoditt. 


"  A  more  interesting  work  of  the  kind  we  have  never  met.  We 
cheerfully  recommend  it  to  all  families." — PeeJcskill  Advertiser. 

"  I  am  glad  the  '  Memorials '  are  published.  All  treasures  of  that 
kind  are  too  sacred  to  be  lost.  They  will  make  up  a  part  of  the  fu- 
ture history  of  the  Church,  and  I  doubt  not  of  the  record  of  heaven." 
—DR.  W.  H.  FEKRIS. 

"  To  those  who  knew  them  personally  their  memory  is  as  fragrant 
as  the  spices  in  the  garden  of  the  Lord.  To  those  who  were  con- 
verted through  their  ministry,  their  names  are  as  ointment  poured 
forth.  To  those  who  were  edified  and  encouraged  by  them  in  their 
struggles  for  goodness  and  lor  glory,  the  remembrance  of  them  is 
very  precious.  All  these  classes  of  persons  will  thank  the  author 
for  these  memoirs.  Taken  together,  they  form  a  galaxy  in  the  firma- 
ment of  the  Church  upon  which  we  look  with  much  admiration  and 
pleasure." — BISHOP  JANES. 

"  I  take  great  pleasure  in  recommending  to  our  ministers  and  mem- 
bers the  perusal  of  the  volume  of  '  Sacred  Memories'  of  deceased 
ministers  in  the  New  York  and  New  York  East  Conferences,  by  the 
Eev.  W.  C.  Smith.  Tn  this  memorial  volume  the  great  and  good 
Methodist  ministers  of  other  clays  live  again,  and  we  seem  to  see  and 
hear  them  as  in  our  youth.  The  reading  of  this  volume  will  inspire 
the  heart  with  deep  glowing  emotion  and  gratitude.'' — J.  B.  DURBIN. 

"In  issuing  your  'Sacred  Memories'  you  have  done^the  Church 
a  real  service.  When  obituaries  are  received  in  our  Conferences  I 
have  said  to  myself,  '  Is  this  the  last  ?  Are  these  tributes  to  the 
memory  of  the  good  to  lie  in  the  archives  of  the  Conference  never  to 
be  read  ? '  You  have  answered  my  inquiry  by  bringing  out  these 
sketches  of  the  lives  of  the  faithful  to  fuller  view." — C.  C.  NORTH. 

"  The  'Sacred  Memories '  is  an  excellent  book,  and  ought  to  be  in 
every  Methodist  family  and  Sunday-school  in  our  entire  Connection. 
Let  the  wealthy  give  it  to  the  poor.  It  does  me  good  to  read  it." — 
DANIEL  DREW. 

'""  I  have  just  risen,  greatly  profited,  from  the  reading  of  the  '  Sacred 
Memories.'  It  should  be  read  by  every  layman  and  minister  of  our 
Church.  I  should  be  pleased  to  say  to  my  friends  in  the  old  Pratts- 
ville  District :  Brethren,  this  book  speaks  to  you  of  the  life  and 
death  of  men  who  to  many  of  you  were  spiritual  Fathers,  if  not 
Apostles  ;  such  men  as  Eice,  Jewett,  Ferguson,  Martindale,  Breakey, 
Mitchell,  Lee,  Bangs,  and  others,  '  who  counted  not  their  lives  dear 
unto  themselves.'  Brethren,  order  the  book,  read,  and  lend  it." — 
WM,  Goss. 

"  Having  read  most  of  the  notices  of  the  illustrious  men  whose 
obituaries  make  up  this  volume,  I  cannot  but  express  my  pleasure 
at  this  effort  to  perpetuate  their  memory.  Not  only  their  names, 
but  the  record  of  their  devoted  lives  and  triumphant  deaths  should 
be  as  'household  words.'  " — JOSEPH  LONGKING. 


A  GENT'S  WANTED. — The  largest  commissions  allowed. 
Those  desiring  the  Agency  of  the  book  will  address  the  Author 
at  No.  11  Jane-street,  Now  York. 


BOOKS  FOR  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS, 

805  Broadway,  New  York. 


STORY  OF  ANNA  THE  PROPHETESS. 

By  a  Sabbath-School  Teacher.     18mo. 

CTORY  OF  ANANIAS  AND  SAPPHIRA. 

By  WILLIAM  A.  ALCOTT.     18mo. 

V::T3  JEW  AMONG  ALL  NATIONS. 

Kight  Illustrations.     18mo. 

THE  KINGDOM  OF  HEAVEN 

Among  Children;  or,  Twenty-five  Narratives  of  a  Rcgligioitf 
Awakening  in  a  School  in  i'omerauia.  From  the  Germaa. 
by  CHARLOTTE  CLARKE.  18mo. 

MOUNTAINS  OF  THE  PENTATEUCH. 

Conversations  on  the  Mountains  of  the  PentMeuch,  and  th« 
Scenes  and  Circumstances  connected  with  them  in  Holy  Writ 
ISmo. 

LIFE  DF  JOHN  BUNYAN, 

Author  of  the  Pilgrim's  Progress.  By  STEPHEN  R.  WicKKVa 
Six  Illustrations.  Ibruo. 

THE  TWO  DOVES: 

Or,  Memoirs  of  Margaret  and  Anna  Dove,  Ivtf  of  Leeda, 
England.  By  PETER  M'OWAH.  18mo. 

THE  MOTHERLESS  FAMILY. 

Two  Illustrations,     ismu. 

THOMAS  HAWKEY  TREFFRY; 

Parental  Portraiture  of  'I'horaas  Hawkey  Treft'ry,  who  died  tt 
Falmouth,  A[)ril  10,  1821,  aged  eighteen  years.  ilv  t*» 
RICHAKD  TKEFFRT  ISmn. 

UNCLE  WILLIAIvI  AND  HIS  NEPHEWS. 

Nine  Illustrations,     l^ran. 

MY  GRANDFATHER  GREGORY. 

With  Illustrations.     18mo. 

THE  FLOWER  AND  FRUIT. 

Illustrated.     1  *mo. 

THE  SEED  AND  GRASS. 

Illustrated.     ISmt. 


BOOKS  FOE  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. 

805  Broadway?  New  York. 


MISSIONS  IN  WESTERN  AFRICA. 

Including  Mr.  Freeman's  Visit  to  Ashaatee.  Four  Illustration* 
18mo. 

ftJNT  ESSAY  ON  SECRET  PRAYER, 

As  the  the  Duty  and  Privilege  of  Christians.  3y  JOEEPB 
ENTWISLE,  Minister  of  the  Gospel.  18mo. 

JUVENILE  TEMPERANCE  MANUAL, 

And  Facts  for  the  People.    By  D.  GOHEEN,  Columbia,  Pa.    ISmo 

SCRIPTURE  PROPHECY. 

Fulfillment  of  Scripture  Prophecy,  as  Exhibited  in  Ancient 
History  and  Modern  Travels.  By  STEPHEN  B.  WICKEHS.  Three 
Illustrations.  18mo. 

LIFE  OF  THE  APOSTLE  JOHN. 

By  Kev.  DANIEL  SMITH.     18mo. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  PATRIARCH  JACOB. 

By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.    Five  Illustrations.    18mo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  HEZEKIAH. 

By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.     ISmo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  JOSHUA. 

By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.    Three  Illustrations.    ISmo. 

DEAF  AND  DUMB. 

Recollections  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb.    18mo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  ELIJAH. 

By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.     Five  Illustrations-    ISmo. 

THE  WATERLOO  SOLDIER. 

Three  Illustrations.    18mo. 

SUPERSTITIONS  OF  BENGAL. 

Anecdotes  of  the  Superstitions  of  Bengal,  for  Yonng  Ferg<m§ 
BY  ROBERT  NEWSTEAT,  Author  of  "Ideas  for  Infants.''     18ino 


BOOKS  FOR  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. 

805  Broadway,  New  York. 

THE  CONVERTED  JEWESS : 

A  Memoir  of  Maria .    ISmo., 

THE  MISSIONARY  TEACHER : 

A  Memoir  of  Cyrus  Shepard,  embracing  a  Brief  Sketch  of  the 
Early  History  of  the  Oregon  Mission.  By  Rev.  Z.  A.  MI-DUB. 
Seven  Illustrations.  18mo. 

BE  GOOD: 

An  Important  Precept  illustrated  in  Ralph's  Account  of  a  Visit 
to  the  Country.  Four  Illustrations.  18mo. 

HADASSAH; 

Or,  The  Adopted  Child.    Two  Illustrations.    18mo. 

THE  LIVES  OP  THE  C2ESARS. 

For  Week-day  Reading.     Six  Illustrations,    l&mo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  MOHAMMED. 

Three  Illustrations.    18mo. 

THE  HIGHLAND  GLEN; 

Or,  Plenty  and  Famine.    Two  Illustrations.    18mo. 

PARTING  PRECEPTS 

To  a  Female  Sunday  Scholar,  on  her  Advantages  and  Responsi- 
bilities. By  MRS.  J.  BAKEWELL.  18mo. 

NEDDY  WALTER; 

Or,  The  Wilderness  made  to  Bloom.    Two  Illustrations.    18mo. 

HARRIET  GREY; 

Or,  The  Selfish  Girl  cured.    18mo. 

CUBA. 

By  Rev.  JAMES  RAWSON,  A.  M.    Illustrated.    18mo. 

THE  DEVOUT  SOLDIER: 

A  Memoir  of  Major  General  Burn,  of  the  Royal  Marines.  By 
Rev.  DANIEL  WISE,  Author  of  "  The  Macgregor  Family,"  etc. 
Two  Illustrations.  18mo. 


BOOKS  FOR  SUNDAY- SCHOOLS, 

805  Broadway,  New  York. 

NOTICES  OF  FUH  CHAU, 

And  the  other  Open  Ports  of  China :  with  Reference  to  Mission 
ary  Operations.  With  Illustrations.  18mo. 

THE  BIBLE  SCHOLAR'S  MANUAL: 

Embracing  a  General  Account  of  the  Books  and  Writers  of  th* 
Old  andNew  Testaments,  the  Geography  and  History  of  Pales- 
tine, the  History  and  Customs  of  tne  Jews,  etc.  For  Bible 
Classes  and  General  Reading.  By  Rev.  B.  K.  PEIRCE.  18mo 

THE  INDIAN  ARCHIPELAGO : 

Its  Manners,  Arts,  Languages,  Religions,  and  Institutions 
By  Rev.  JAMES  RAWSON,  A.M.  With  Illustrations.  Two  vol- 
umes, 18mo. 

WILLIAM ; 

Or,  The  Converted  Romanist.  Translated  from  the  French. 
ISmo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  CYRUS. 

18mo. 

THE  DAWN  OF  MODERN  CIVILIZATION; 

Or,  Sketches  of  the  Social  Condition  of  Europe  from  the  Twelfth 
to  the  Sixteenth  Century.  18mo. 

THE  FISHERMAN'S  SON. 

Two  Illustrations.    18mo. 

MAGIC, 

Pretended  Miracles,  and  Remarkable  Natural  Phenomena. 
Illustrated.  18mo. 

ANGEL  WHISPERS ; 

Or,  The  Story  of  Thomas  and  Edward.  Two  Illustration*. 
18mo. 

HISTORY  OF  NELLY  VANNER. 

Written  expressly  for  Children.    By  JOHH  CCEWKN.    18mo. 

PRAISE  AND  BLAME. 

By  Rev.  CHARLES  WILLIAMS,  Author  of  "  Facts,  not  Fable*." 
With  Illustrations.  18mo. 

a 


BOOKS  FOR  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS, 

805  Broadway,  New  York. 

CONVERSATIONS  ON  PALESTINE. 

Conversations   on   the   Geography,   Natnrnl    History,   etc.,   of 
Palestine.     By  IMOGEN  MEKCEJN.     Illustrated.     18mo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  SAMSON. 

By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.     18mo. 

MORAL  FABLES  AND  PARABLES. 

By  INGRAM  COBBIN,  M.  A.    Illustrated.    18mo. 

STORIES  FROM  THE  HISTORY  OF  SCOTLAND. 

By  Rev.  ALEXANDER  STEWART,  a  Minister  of  that  Country. 
18mo. 

MATERNAL  INSTRUCTIONS; 

Or,  The  History  of  Mrs.  Murray  and  her  Children.    By  WILUAM 
,  ESQ.,  Author  of  the  Protestant.     18mo. 


THE  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.    18mo. 

THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  JERUSALEM: 

Abridged  from  the  History  of  the  Jewish  Wars,  by  Flavins 
Josephus.  With  a  Description  of  Palestine,  and  brief  Sketch 
of  the  History  of  Jerusalem  before  the  War;  together  with  au 
Epitome  of  its  Modern  History,  the  whole  being  intended  to 
illustrate  the  Fulfillment  of  the  Predictions  of  Moses  and  the 
Messiah.  By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.  18mo. 

WESLEYAN  CENTENARY: 

A  Memorial  of  the  Wesleyan  Centenary.  Extracted  from 
"  The  Centenary  of  Wesleyan  Methodism."  By  THOMAS  JACK- 
BON.  18mo. 

GRACE  KING; 

Or,  Recollections  of  Events  in  the  Life  and  Death  of  a  I 
Youth  :  with  Extracts  from  her  Diary.    Published  for  the  beuefat 
of  Youth.    Three  Illustrations.     18mo. 

LOVE  TO  THE  SAVIOUR. 

By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.    18mo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

By  Rev.  DAVIEL  SMITH.    18mo. 


BOOKS  FOR  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS, 

805  Broadway,  New  York. 

LECTURES  TO  CHILDREN. 

By  the  Assistant  Editor   of   the   "Christian  Advocate   and 
Journal,"  etc.    Illustrated.    18mo. 

LIFE  OF  LADY  FALKLAND. 

The  Grace  of  God  Manifested  in  the  Life  and  Death  of  Ladj 
Letice  Viscountess  Falkland.  18mo. 

THE   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  MINISTER; 

Or,  Sketches  drawn  from  Life  and  Character.  By  Rev.  J.  T 
BABE.  18mo. 

CHOICE  PLEASURES  FOR  YOUTH: 

Recommended  in  a  Series  of  Letters  from  a  Father  to  his  SOB 
18mo. 

MEMOIR  OF  HANNAH  MORE : 

With  brief  Notices  of  her  Works,  Cotemporaries,  etc.  By  S.  Q 
AKNOLD.  18mo. 

THEOBALD,  THE  IRON  HE ARTE*D  5 

Or,  Love  to  Enemies.  From  the  French  of  Rev.  C.ESAK  MALAB 
18mo. 

THE  DAY-LAMP  OF  LIFE. 

Two  Illustrations.    18mo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  ESTHER. 

By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.    18mo. 

THE  THEOLOGICAL  COMPEND : 

Containing  a  System  of  Divinity,  or  a  brief  View  of  the  Evi- 
dences, Doctrines,  Morals,  and  Institutions  of  Christianity. 
Designed  for  the  benefit  of  Families,  Bible  Classes,  and  Suiidaj 
Schools.  By  AMOS  BINNEY.  18mo. 

UFE  OF  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST. 

By  Eev,  DANIEL  SMITH.    18mo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  JONAH. 

By  Rev .  DANIEL  SMITH.    Two  illustrations.     ISnux 

THE  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM. 

By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.    18mo. 


BOOKS  FOE,  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS, 

805  Broadway,  New  York. 

FILIAL  DUTY 

Recommended  and  Enforced,  by  a  variety  of  Instructive  and 
Amusing  Narratives  of  Children  who  have  been  Remarkable 
for  Affection  to  their  Parents;  also,  an  Account  of  some  Sti  ik- 
ing Instances  of  Children  who  have  been  guilty  of  Cruel  ;if  I 
Uun.'itural  Conduct  to  their  Parents.  Five  Illustrations.  L.SI>;  . 

SOUTH  SEA  MISSIONS. 

Conversations  on  the  South  -Sea  Missions.  By  the  Authoi 
of  "Conversations  on  the  Life  of  Carey."  Illustrated.  Two 
volumes,  iSmo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  DAVID. 

By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.     18mo.  ., 

IDLE  DICK  AND  THE  POOR  WATCHMAKER. 

Originally  written  in  French,  by  Rev.  C.SSAR  MAL*H,  of 
Geneva.  With  Illustrations.  ISmo. 

THE  FEATHER  AND  SONG  BIRD. 

Illustrated.     18mo. 

THE  MIRACLES  OF  CHRIST: 

With  Explanatory  Observations,  and  Illustrations  from  Modern 
Travels.  Intended  for  the  Youug.  Six  Illustrations.  18mo. 

THE  FLY  AND  HONEY  BEE. 

Illustrated.     18mo. 

THE  NEST  AND  EGG. 

Illustrated.     18mo. 

SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS: 

Letters  on  the  Distinguishing  Excellences  of  Remsi-rhable  Scnp- 
ture  Personages.  By  Rev.  ROBERT  HUSTOS.  Isiuo. 

HIE  ANIMALCULE  AND  GALL  INSECT. 

Illustrated.     18mo. 
THE  FORTY-TWO  CHILDREN  AT  MT.  BETHEL, 

By  a  Sabbath-School  Teacher.  18m<- 

THE  ANT  AND  SPIDER. 

Ill'isnatfd.     1.81110. 


BOOKS  FOR  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. 

805  Broadway,  New  York. 

LIFE  OP  REV.  RICHARD  WATSON, 

Author  of  Theological  Institutes,  Dictionary,  Exposition  of  the 
Gospels,  etc.  By  STEPHEN  B.  WICKENS.  18mo. 

PERIOUS  ADVICE 

From  a  Father  to  his  Children.  Recommended  to  Parents, 
Guardians,  Governors  of  Seminaries,  and  to  Teachers  of  Sundajr 
Schools.  By  CHARLES  ATMORE.  18mo. 

A  VOICE  FROM  THE  SABBATH  SCHOOL: 

A  brief  Memoir  of  Emily  Andrews.  By  Rev.  DAXIEL  SMITH. 
18mo 

LITTLE  JAMES; 

Or,  The  Story  of  a  Good  Boy's  Life  and  Death.  John  Reinhard 
Hedinguer;  or,  the  Faithful  Chaplain  :  being  an  Account  of  an 
extraordinarily  Pious  and  Devoted  Minister  of  Christ.  18mo. 

MEMOIR  OF  ELIZABETH  JONES, 

A  Little  Indian  Girl,  who  lived  at  the  River-Credit  Mission. 
Upper  Canada.  Three  Illustrations.  18mo. 

JERUSALEM  AND  THE  TEMPLE. 

Rebuilding  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Temple ;  or,  The  Lives  of 
Ezra  and  Nehemiah.  By  Rev.  DANIEL  SMITH.  18mo. 

THE  TRAVELER; 

Or,  A  Description  of  Various  Wonders  in  Nature  and  \ri.  D- 
lustrated.  IBmo. 

MEMOIRS  OF  JOHN  FREDERIC  OBERLIN, 

Pastor  of  Waldbach,  in  the  Ban  De  La  Roche.     18mo.          •** 

THE  LIFE  OF  GEORGE  WASHINGTON, 

F-rst  President  of  the  United  States.  By  S.  G.  ARNOLD,  Authos 
01  "  Memoirs  of  Hannah  More."  Three  Illustrations.  ISrao, 

THE  LIFE  OF  DANIEL. 

By  Rev.  DAJOEL  SMITH.    Two  Illustrations.     Ittino. 

THE  LIFE  OF  MOSES. 

By  Rev.  ^AKIBL  SMITH.    LUustrated.    ISmo. 


UCSB   LIBRARY 

y- 


A     000  525  707     6 


